Wolf's Intent
by Callisto1791
Summary: At Voldemort‘s rebirthing ceremony, Fenrir discovers the scent of a Lycan bearer, a human with the ability to bear pure blooded werewolves if changed into one themselves. Fenrir rescues his potential mate only to discover it is none other than Harry Potte
1. Escape

Wolfish Intentions

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

Summary: At Voldemort's rebirthing ceremony, Fenrir discovers the scent of a Lycan bearer, a human with the ability to bear pure blooded werewolves if changed into one themselves. Fenrir rescues his potential mate only to discover it is none other than Harry Potter. Warning: This story involves descriptions of a relationship between two males, one of which is a minor, if this bothers I suggest you don't go any further. Read at your own discretion.

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Chapter 1:

Fenrir closely watched the scene before him. He was hidden behind a cluster of trees not far from the group of deatheaters. The wolf's nostrils flared with from the scent of the burning wood that rested beneath the large cauldron in the center of men. They were waiting for something Fenrir could tell. He didn't really know why he bothered to show. In all truth he wasn't supposed to anywhere near this place. Voldemort had only informed his 'minions' of this particular meeting. It was only by chance that Fenrir even knew about it.

Did Voldemort care that Fenrir and his pack had been more than helpful in the past months? Did he care that Fenrir was being an excellent ally and deserved to be involved in all aspects of his reign. No, apparently not. So Fenrir decided to come to the meeting, more for spite than anything else. He would not be kept from these proceedings. Fenrir was a powerful ally and deserved to be treated as such. Fenrir was only waiting to make his presence known, or perhaps watch a little while to see if there was any other information that was being kept from him.

Fenrir continued to watch as wormtail dragged a heap of something into the circle of men. As wormtail pushed his load up towards a tombstone, Fenrir could clearly see the outline of an adolescent boy. Now, more curious than anything else, Fenrir crept closer. After a moment, Fenrir realized that this must be the rebirthing ceremony that Voldemort had been planning recently. He felt a wave of anger at being kept from such an important event. The boy's cries a moment later distracted Fenrir enough to focus on the scene before him once more.

Fenrir's breath caught in his throat as he watched a dark mass raise itself from the cauldron. Voldemort had been reborn. The wind picked up and it seemed as if nature itself was protesting the rise of the wizard. Fenrir watched intently for a moment more before the wind reached his location as well. The wolf instinctively breathed deeply. He could smell the decaying flesh of Voldemort and even the fearful and excited sweat of the many deatheaters.

But there was a scent that rose above all of that filth. The wolf closed his eyes momentarily to better savor the irresistible smell. With a jolt, Fenrir realized that it was the scent of a lycan bearer. He almost couldn't believe it. Lycan bearers were very rare. Few humans had pure werewolf somewhere in their ancestry, and even if they did, it often didn't manifest during their lifetimes.

Gaining possession of a lycan bearer would be very profitable indeed. The only way to have pure blooded werewolf offspring would be to change a lycan bearer into a werewolf and then mate with them. Of course, since there were so few lycan bearers most werewolves were forced to pick out human children to change and raise since they couldn't have cubs on their own. Unfortunately this resulted in weaker werewolves and hatred from most wizards, but it was their only option most of the time. But Fenrir wouldn't have to worry about that now. He had found a lycan bearer and would claim him for himself.

A moment later Fenrir's planning was interrupted by a shrill scream. His eyes snapped open to see Voldemort cursing the boy before him. The boy that he had just discovered was the lycan bearer.

Fenrir's legs automatically started forward.

"Voldemort!" Fenrir shouted as he revealed himself from his place behind the bushes, effectively drawing everyone's attention to him. The deatheaters whipped their heads around, so unused were they to hearing the dark lord addressed so informally.

Voldemort turned rapidly as well, a moment away from cursing whoever had dared to interrupt him. However, when he saw that it was Fenrir, the curse died on his lips as his eyes narrowed further.

"What are you doing here, Fenrir? You are not welcome to this meeting," Voldemort hissed.

Fenrir stepped closer, his stance menacing even in his human form.

"You should know better than to keep one of your most valuable allies from such important events. However, I will let your indiscretion slide, for a price."

"Price?" Voldemort spat, outraged. "There will be No Price. You listen and obey My orders, Fenrir!" Voldemort argued before he followed with a nasty curse. Fenrir dodged the beam of light even though he knew his skin would have easily deflected the curse should it have made contact. Fenrir stepped forward once again, pushing several deatheaters away that stood between him and Voldemort.

"I think your years away from your human form have muddled your brain a bit, Voldemort. Or have you forgotten why werewolves have always been and will always be only your allies and never your subjects? We are not so easily defeated, even the weakest among us are more than a match for your minions. And you think that a mere curse will break me? Leader of the Alderen clan and one of the last pureblood werewolves of the world?" Fenrir asked, outraged that Voldemort would dare to curse him.

However, it was obvious that Voldemort was not taking well to Fenrir's impudence, his eyes seemed to be glowing an even brighter red.

"I know of your abilities, Fenrir...and the benefits of having you as an ally. That is the only reason you are still standing! Now tell me, what are you doing here?" Voldemort demanded once again.

"Ah, now we finally get to the heart of the matter. It's quite simple really, I want the boy," Fenrir answered calmly.

Voldemort looked shocked, but his reaction paled in comparison to that of the boy's. Harry jerked in his bonds, his pale face draining further which only made his green eyes look even larger.

After a moment Voldemort composed his snake like expression.

"No, you can not have him. It is not an option, Fenrir. Even if I was pleased with you, which I am not, I would not let you have him. There is no reason for me to give him to you," Voldemort reasoned.

"Oh, but there is," Fenrir replied, stepping closer to Voldemort so that no one else could hear him any longer. "The boy is a lycan bearer," Fenrir whispered. At that Voldemort looked even more shocked.

"Are you sure?" Voldemort asked.

"Of course I am. And as a werewolf, I have a greater right to him. He is my kind, or as close as any human could be," Fenrir stated.

Voldemort thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"No Fenrir. I can not let you take him. I must Kill this boy!"

Fenrir stepped back angrily.

"The only reason me and my kind have sided with you is because the other does not allow us to follow our own natural ways and traditions. If you are going to impede us as well by not allowing me to take what is mine, there will be no reason for us to side with you either," Fenrir declared loudly for all to hear.

The surrounding deatheaters collectively gasped at that statement. But before Voldemort could reply or perhaps try to curse Fenrir again, a loud cry caught everyone's attention. Harry must have broken the magical bindings that had been holding the him to the tombstone since he was quickly making his escape while wormtail shouted for him to stop. Of course, his escape was only made easier by everyone's previous distraction.

"Capture him!" Voldemort ordered angrily, rousing everyone into action. Several curses were flung through the air and Harry only just managed to block them with his newly reacquired wand before continuing to run away from the clearing. However, the deatheaters were fast upon him and Fenrir knew the boy wouldn't be able to evade them for long. Almost without thought, Fenrir started running towards the boy. He quickly caught up. His movements almost a blur due to his increased speed as a pureblood werewolf.

Luckily, Fenrir made it to the boy's side just as one of the deatheater's curses hit, sending the boy sprawling forward in an unconscious haze. Fenrir reached out and grasped the falling form firmly. With barely a thought as to how his actions would change the course of the future, Fenrir apparated away from the clearing with the newly found lycan bearer ensconced safely within his arms.


	2. Awakening

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters

AN: Thank you for all the reviews!!!

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Chapter 2:

Fenrir stood up quickly after setting the boy down gently onto the ground below. Although he wasn't a wizard, werewolves had a magic all unto their own, luckily which included apparating. And since he was a pureblooded werewolf that only made his powers more astounding and precise. Looking around, Fenrir was happy to see that he had ended up exactly where he intended, far enough from his pack so that they wouldn't immediately notice his presence but close enough so that he wasn't in any danger from unknown things lurking in the forest.

Kneeling down, Fenrir regarded the unconscious boy before him. Where should he mark him? He hadn't apparated directly into his pack's territory for the express purpose of marking the boy. Although a mark wouldn't keep werewolves from other packs from taking the boy, his own mark should be enough to keep his own subordinate werewolves from getting ideas. Fenrir knew that several males in his pack would be very tempted to challenge him for possession of the lycan bearer if Fenrir took the boy into his territory unmarked.

Deciding on the boy's left wrist, since the right had a nasty cut, Fenrir bent down and bit the tender flesh. The boy stirred, groaning. Fenrir continued unhurriedly, knowing that the stupefying curse would keep his mate from awaking any time soon. The blood that seeped from the wound tasted sweet to Fenrir. He wanted to change into his wolf form and bite the boy again, and make him completely one of his own kind. The instinctive urge to do so was almost overpowering. But with a sigh, Fenrir licked the wound closed and pulled away. He would not make the same mistake twice and turn those not willing. He had discovered the hard way that those forced into a life as part werewolf didn't take well to the change. It more often than not ended in tragedy.

Fenrir looked down at the boy's wrist, he was pleased that the mark had taken so well. A circle of small blue dots now decorated the underside of the boy's left arm. Nodding his approval, Fenrir bent down to take the boy once again in his arms.

Fenrir had only been walking for about five minutes before he heard several of his scouts narrowing in on his position. When they realized that it was their leader who had returned, they came out to greet him.

Fenrir straightened as a man and woman revealed themselves from behind a cluster of trees up ahead.

The two scouts walked forward with bowed heads, intending to greet their leader properly. When they were only a few feet away from Fenrir they stopped suddenly. Fenrir noted the tensing of the man's shoulders warily, although he was pleased to see they both kept their heads bowed.

The male scout named Render made the first move.

"You found a lycan bearer, sire?" Render asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I have," Fenrir answered clearly before continuing, "and I have marked him accordingly."

The eyes of the two scouts darted to the mark glistening visibly on the limp arm of the boy. The nodded in unison and dropped to their knees. This time it was the woman named Sarah who spoke .

"Then we are pleased. The addition of a lycan bearer to our pack is a fortuitous event indeed."

Fenrir nodded, inwardly pleased. "Then assemble the heads of the families, we have much to discuss."

The scouts nodded and rose, running back to the encampment swiftly. Fenrir continued on with the boy in his arms.

By the time he made it to the meeting room the heads of the families had already gathered there. He looked around proudly. His pack was made up of seven families, the leader of each he had changed himself throughout his lifetime. Not many packs could boast such a large number. Most of the time packs ended up fragmenting, but his stern leadership had allowed his own people to grow and prosper.

Fenrir walked confidently into the front of the room and placed the unconscious boy before him.

"As you may have already heard, I have found a lycan bearer. His presence here insures that the line of pureblooded werewolves will not falter-"

"Harry?!" The youngest family leader gasped as he rushed to the front of the room. Fenrir stepped in front of the boy, his movements a blur as the young family head stopped short.

"I will forgive your impertinence this once, Thedron, since it seems you have had quite a shock. You know this boy?" Fenrir asked pointedly.

Thedron dropped to he knees quickly. "I am sorry sire, it's just that this boy is...well he Harry Potter!"

Several of the younger, wizard-raised werewolves gasped and started muttering.

"Are you sure of this, Thedron?"

"Yes, sire. Harry was a first year when I was in my seventh at Hogwarts, I know his face. This truly is Harry Potter."

The muttering from the crowd grew louder.

"Silence!" Fenrir demanded. He needed quite if he was going to be able to think this through. Suddenly the past day became clear. If this boy was Harry Potter, that did explain why Voldemort was so determined to have him killed. After a moment of indecision Fenrir continued.

"Who this boy is makes no difference. The fact that he is a lycan bearer and will become my mate is all that matters. He will come to live as one of us...However, as you say he is a wizard, we will have to be careful around him. Wizard's prejudice against us have led many of them to become enemies when they might have been our friends. Let this boy come to know us before we reveal all that we are to him."

The family heads nodded in acceptance. Thedron spoke again from his kneeling position beside Harry.

"Where did you find him sire?" Thedron asked.

"Voldemort was about to murder him, luckily I had decided to attend the meeting whether or not Voldemort wanted my presence. After I discovered exactly what this boy was I asked Voldemort to release him into my custody as is my right. Unfortunately, he refused." Turning to the group at large, Fenrir continued. "That brings me to the next piece of news that I have for you all. Voldemort has proven himself just as uncaring of our ways as the rest of the wizarding world. We will no longer ally ourselves with him."

The assembled werewolves nodded in acceptance.

"Your decision was a wise one," Catherine, the eldest of the family leaders, added. Fenrir looked at Catherine fondly for she was one of the first that he had turned and knew him best.

"I am glad you think so, Catherine," Fenrir replied before dismissing the rest of the group. Catherine though only continued forward to inspect the boy.

"What is wrong with him?" Catherine asked.

"He was stupefied by one of the deatheaters before I was able to apparate him away. I thought it best to let him get some rest," Fenrir replied as he bent down to scoop Harry into his arms once more.

Catherine nodded. "Yes, best to let him rest now. He will have many question when he awakes."

"Indeed he will," Fenrir agreed.

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Voldemort watched Fenrir apparate away with the Potter boy with a mixture of surprise and intense anger. He knew that the werewolves valued the lycan bearers, but enough to upset years of collaboration?! What was it about that boy, there was always someone there to save him. Nothing could be more frustrating, Voldemort felt, than to be unable to torture and murder someone you hated.

Voldemort punished his deatheaters soundly for letting the boy get away before dismissing them. He had felt a little better after that. However, the boiling rage that all his plans for the last year had been foiled remained beneath the surface. At least he had gotten the boy's blood before he escaped, Voldemort thought idly. But where was the boy Now? He had to find him before Potter had a chance to hide behind Dumbledore once again. The only chance he had was to find the boy before the rest of wizarding world did. At least he knew Fenrir wouldn't plan on giving the boy back anytime soon. The werewolf was probably already making plans to have a litter with the damn lycan bearer-. Suddenly Voldemort had an idea.

He hurriedly called Lucius to him?

When Lucius appeared before him in his study, Voldemort noted that the man looked slightly surprised. It was uncommon to be called twice in one night, and Lucius was visibly wary.

"Do not fret, Lucius, you are not here to be reprimanded," Voldemort began. Lucius seemed to calm a bit but still regarded Voldemort cautiously.

"The reason I have called you, Lucius is because I have decided on a course of action after tonight's mishap."

"I will do whatever you command, my lord," Lucius replied.

"Good. First of all I want you to take the body of the boy that came here with Potter tonight. String it up in a public place so it will be found quickly. On the body I want you to leave a message. Something along the lines of, 'Harry will wish he were as dead as this boy by now' or some such cruel meaning. The main point is that I want Dumbledore to believe that I still have possession of Harry. I do not want him looking elsewhere for the boy's whereabouts,"

Lucius nodded understandingly.

"After that I want you to contact the werewolf packs on the continent," Voldemort added.

Lucius looked shocked at that.

"Yes, my lord. However,...you do know that they are especially vicious and secretive. They will not likely ally with our cause-"

"Of course I know!" Voldemort shouted. The fact that he had not been able to gain the support of the werewolf packs on the continent in the past was still a sore subject with him. "However, this time I believe they will listen. I want you to tell them that I have information of a lycan bearer located somewhere in Britain," Voldemort said. For he did indeed know the general location of Fenrir's territory. It was only that the territory encompassed such a large amount of wild terrain that posed problems for Voldemort.

Lucius looked surprised for a moment for even though he had been at the meeting he had only heard bits and pieces of Fenrir's conversation with the dark lord. Voldemort was pleased that even Lucius did not suspect that Harry was the lycan bearer that he spoke of. Although Voldemort did know that Lucius would probably figure it out soon enough.

"And what is the price of this information, my lord?" Lucius asked.

"Tell them that I will demand nothing from them. I will tell them of the general area that I know that the bearer is located in. In return I only wish for them to let me follow them on their search." Voldemort thought it best to leave out the part where he would murder the bearer once he was found.

"I will do as you say my lord," Lucius repeated once again before he left to do Voldemort's bidding.

Voldemort sat down thoughtfully, eagerly anticipating the future. For if anyone would be able to help him locate Harry before Dumbledore, it was a werewolf pack hot on the trail of a lycan bearer.

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Harry opened his eyes slowly. He was a bit surprised to see the brown of a rough wooden ceiling and not the blinding white ceiling of the hospital wing. But why was he expecting to be in the hospital wing, Harry vaguely wondered. His muddled mind sought blindly for the answer. Then a blinding second later, Harry's mind supplied the memory of the day previously. Although it wasn't a fluid memory. His thoughts and impressions seemed disjointed. Everything seemed clear up until the moment he grabbed that damned trophy. Then a rush of green light, a death eater meeting, being cut, Voldemorts rebirth, the crucio torture session. Everything disintegrated into a pain filled haze after that, his hatred of Voldemort the only keeping him going. And a man saying that he had come for him. Harry remembered that clearly at least and the unrelenting fear that followed, reminding him that if he didn't run he would surely be murdered. Harry remembered running for his life and then nothing...

He instinctively sat bolt upright, fear coursing though him. And though he tried to stand, a warm hand on his shoulder kept him from moving further.

With bated breath, Harry turned his head to allow his eyes to travel up the length of the arm that held him still. Harry fully expected to see a death eater, a demon, or something equally horrifying.

And so it was Harry was surprised to find only a normal looking man sitting beside him and looking down at him warmly. Well not exactly normal looking, Harry admitted after a moment. The man was quite a bit larger than most men Harry knew and exuded a quite confidence not common among people. His clothes were also different. The man was not wearing wizarding robes or even muggle clothes. His breaches and shirt were made of a sturdy material similar to leather. And a long cloak made out of some type of animal fur was draped around his shoulders. Harry thought he would have vaguely resembled a Viking if only he had a helmet with horns. But other than that, the man seemed normal, he even looked a bit familiar.

"There is no need to worry Harry, you are in no danger here," The man spoke a moment later.

Harry sat back, further away from the man. The spoken words had effectively broken Harry out of his reverie and contemplation of the man before him.

"Where am I, Who are you, and How did I get here?" Harry asked in quick succession, now that his mind seemed coherent once more he couldn't keep himself from asking questions.

The man before him smiled sympathetically.

"Of course I will answer all of your questions. However it might be prudent for you to tell me what you remember first."

Harry regarded the man before him for a moment. His reasoning seemed sound and he did want answers. Taking a deep breath, Harry tried to organize his tangled memories once again.

He saw green light once more and something triggered in Harry's mind. "They killed Cedric, Wormtail murdered him" Harry whispered, the truth of his words confirming themselves in Harry's mind.

"Cedric?" The man asked.

"Yes, the boy who got caught with me when we touched the trophy together," Harry clarified, the grief he felt at the boy's passing evident in his voice.

The man nodded understandingly but urged Harry to continue.

"And then they cut me," Harry was relieved to notice the healed skin of his arm. "After that...Voldemort rose and he used crucio on me, I don't know for how long."

"And then?" the man asked.

"Then...I don't remember as well. Everything sort of blended together. But then a man came and said he wanted to take me for his own..." Harry trailed off for a moment, visibly examining his memory once more.

A second later Harry's large emerald eyes snapped back to look at Fenrir's face.

"It was you!" Harry exclaimed. The puzzle piece finally fitting into its slot. That was why the man looked familiar. Harry had seen him last night. It was dark of course, with only the light from the cauldron fire, but Harry was sure of it now. This man was the one that had wanted to take him for his own. Harry started edging away hurriedly. However, the man only tightened his grip on Harry's shoulder.

"Stop," Fenrir intoned quietly, though firmly.

Harry reluctantly obeyed even though his heart was still hammering frantically in his chest.

"What I told you before still holds true. You are in no danger here," Fenrir soothed. "Now are you sure you don't remember anything else?" Fenrir asked.

Harry shook his head slowly, avoiding Fenrir's gaze. Fenrir regarded Harry contentedly. Things would be so much easier between him and Harry if Harry wasn't concerned with the prejudices that wizards held against werewolves.

"Now, to answer your questions. First of all, you are in my own territory, the land of Alder. You may call me Venren," Fenrir said, giving the werewolf word reserved for the elder werewolf in a mating relationship instead of his common one which held so many negative implications. Harry only nodded as he did not know the true meaning of the word.

"And on to your last question, I believe. How you arrived here? That is quite simple really. You broke out of your magical bonds and I apparated you here."

"But why?" Harry asked, defensive once more. "What are you planning, do you want me dead as well?"

"No, Harry, no one wants you dead here," Fenrir replied reassuringly.

"You called me, Harry. You know who I am then. Is that what you want me for? A bargaining chip or something?"  
Fenrir smiled faintly. "No, Harry. When I first saw you, I did not know who you were. I only recently discovered your identity."

"Then what is it?" Harry asked once again, clearly frustrated.

"Do you find it so hard to believe that someone would want you only for you and nothing else, Harry? From the moment I discovered your existence I knew you were meant to become part of my pac-clan."

Harry looked confused at that.

Fenrir only patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"I know you are confused, Harry. But do not worry. All will be clear in time. For now, only know that Voldemort will not hurt you here, and neither will anyone else. Enjoy your stay and try not to worry," Fenrir finished as he stood. "Why don't you rest once more? In a few hours a will introduce you to the rest of your new family."

Harry only watched Fenrir bewilderedly as the man started towards the exit of the large room.

"Sleep well, little one," Fenrir called before he turned to close the door soundly behind him. Harry continued sitting, shocked. What had he gotten himself into this time?

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Thanks for reading! All reviews are very much welcome.


	3. Demands

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: A couple people have asked me about Remus and his possible role in this story. And to answer your questions I can tell you that he will come up in a while. However, I can't really explain his relationship with Fenrir since that is part of the plot in the future. Anyways other than that, enjoy the story.

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Chapter 3:

After Harry got over his initial shock, he decided he might as well do something and not waste time by sitting there idily all day. Harry also reminded himself of the growing need to get back to Hogwarts. They would need to be notified of Voldemort's return...and Cedric's death, Harry remembered regretfully.

Standing slowly, Harry looked around the large room. On closer inspection, this wasn't just a room, it looked more like a grand hall. The size was comparable to the great hall in Hogwarts but there the similarities ended. Where the great hall was all marble and civilized craftsmanship, this hall was made entirely of wood. This hall was round whereas Hogwart's was rectangular. Harry walked over to the back wall to inspect it further. The walls gleamed healthily, Harry couldn't even pick out the individual boards of wood. If Harry didn't know better, he would have thought the it was made of all one seamless piece of wood. Even though this hall was nowhere near as sophisticated as the one in Hogwarts it made it no less beautiful.

Tearing his eyes away from the wall, Harry turned to look at the rest of the room. There was his pile of fur blankets lying before him. But what surprised Harry was that there was another pile next to it. Had the man, Venren, Harry recalled, been sleeping next to him?

But that wasn't all, throughout the rest of the room were many more piles of fur covered beds. This must be where Venren's clan slept, Harry realized. But why were they sleeping on the ground? That was a bit strange even if the mound of blankets that Harry had been sleeping on were just a comfortable as any bed he had ever slept in.

Shrugging off the confusion he felt with the clan's eccentricities, Harry walked towards the other end of hall where a large door was located.

Harry wasn't really surprised per say when he reached out to open the door and found it locked.

Sighing, Harry reached out and started knocking smartly on the door even though it hurt his knuckles to do so. Harry waited for a moment, but didn't really expect anyone to open the door.

A second later, Harry jumped back, shocked once again as the door began to open. A young man and woman entered. They were dressed similarly to Venren but didn't wear a long fur cloak as he had.

Before Harry had a chance to look either person over more closely, the pair kneeled. Now that was surprising, Harry thought. Sure he had had people fuss over him in the past, even bow a couple times, but outright kneeling? That was something new.

"I am Render and am pleased to serve and honor you," the man recited.

"I am Sarah and am pleased to serve and honor you," the woman recited.

"Hello..." Harry began unsure of how to begin. "I am Harry and I'm...pleased to meet you as well."

The pair nodded and rose. Harry watched them hesitantly. He had never been kidnapped or perhaps 'rescued' before, but this was definitely not what he expected.

When the two 'guards' only continued to stare at him, Harry decided that just being blunt would be the best approach.

"I would appreciate it if you let me out of this room this instant. I want to go home," Harry demanded.

Sarah and Render looked at one another confusedly.

"But sire, you are home," Sarah answered.

Harry stared at her unabashedly. "No, no I'm not. I am not exactly sure 'where' I am, but I am most assuredly not home," Harry stated emphatically.

Render was about to reply when the door opened once more. The woman that stepped inside was quite tall and looked down at Render and Sarah pointedly.

"Off with you both before your foolish tongues confuse the poor boy even more," the woman ordered.

Render and Sarah nodded quickly and left once more. Harry watched the guards leave dejectedly. Sure, they had confused him but they seemed nice enough. This new woman before him was extremely imposing. Her sleek black fur cloak clung to her neck, making her pale face stand out even more. Harry instinctively shrunk away from her.

"Do not fear, dear child, I will not hurt you," the woman began. The woman's understanding tones irked Harry to no end.

"Everyone keeps telling me that but I still have no idea what is going on," Harry replied, angrily.

The woman smiled indulgently.

"I am sorry for that Harry. Hopefully I can help explain. My name is Catherine."

"Well Hello, Catherine. Now would you mind telling me what is going on? I want to be let out of here," Harry asked once more.

"I take it that our lord didn't explain things to your liking?" Catherine returned.

"Our lord? You mean Voldemort? I knew it! You are working for-" Harry shouted before being cut off abruptly.

"Hush child, No I did not mean Voldemort. Our clan has never called Voldemort lord, although he was our ally for a short while, we are now enemies. The lord I was speaking of was the man you met with earlier."

"Oh, him," Harry replied, feeling stupid for jumping to conclusions.

"Yes, he is our lord and we respect him as such. Anyways, didn't he explain your presence here?"

Harry shrugged. "A little, he only told me how he decided to take me away from Voldemort because he wanted me to be a part of your clan. And then he just told me to get some rest," Harry muttered.

The woman nodded understandingly. "And your uncertainty of the situation kept you from sleeping?"

Harry nodded.

"Well since the lord is busy off at the hunt, and you won't rest until your suspicious are eased, I will answer your questions to the best of my ability. What do you wish to know?"

Harry looked up at the woman expectantly. A thousand questions were running through his mind but now that he could ask whatever he wished, Harry wasn't sure where to start.

Taking a deep breath, Harry tried to put his thoughts in order.

"Well first off, I want to know why I can't go back to my school. I want to go back," Harry informed firmly.

"I thought you understood, Harry. You are part of our family now, you can't go back."

Harry glared at the opposing wall. Demanding to go home was not getting him anywhere so Harry decided to change tactics. "Fine, then tell me why you suddenly want me as a part of your family?"

"There is no why, Harry. You just are. Our lord recognized your similarities to his own people and took you in accordingly. The details of this you will learn at a later time when you are ready," Catherine explained.

Harry huffed but realized the futility of pursuing that particular question further. Harry looked around, searching for another question to choose. A snatch of green caught his eyes, and Harry looked down to notice it was the green of the shirt he was wearing. Although it wasn't really like a shirt Harry had seen before. It looked like it was made of leaves, but was extremely soft. His pants were different too, it was made of that same brown leathery material that he had noticed on the rest of the people he had met.

"Where are my clothes?!" Harry suddenly asked.

"They were dirty and were cut in several places, these are much better for you," Catherine replied.

"No, I want my clothes," Harry demanded again, looking down at himself again. He breathed a sigh of relief to notice he still had his own shoes. Then suddenly he realized he was missing something much more important than clothes.

"And my wand, I need my wand. Where is it?" Harry asked insistently, looking up at Catherine.

"It is safe, our lord has hidden it well."

"No, I don't think you understand, I _need_ my wand, at least to protect myself," Harry said again, starting to get worried.

"You are in no danger here," Catherine replied adamantly. "Anything that you want will be provided for you."

"I Want to go Home!" Harry shouted. Catherine only continued to stare down at him, although he noticed that her face seemed drawn a bit.. But she only kneeled down so that she was at eye level with Harry. Catherine's voice was firm as she spoke.

"This Is your home Harry. The sooner you accept that, the easier your life will be. Our lord will come to speak with you when he comes back from the hunt. Until then, do as he asked and try to get some rest," with that Catherine stood once more and strode out from the room.

Harry automatically ran after her and began pounding on the door when it closed on him. This time no one came to answer.

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Any reviews are welcome!


	4. Compromise

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Chapter 4:

Two hours later found Harry still standing resolutely before the door. After Catherine had left, Harry had further explored the room. Once he had made sure that there were no hidden exits he might use, Harry had started looking through the piles of blankets. Soon it became evident that that search was fruitless so Harry began pacing the length the room, thinking.

He almost wished that if he were to be taken prisoner it would have been in the more traditional sense. After all, things weren't too confusing being stuck in a dungeon while awaiting your execution at sunrise.

But this situation was too unreal. He was being held prisoner, but his guards kneeled to him and called him sire? That didn't make much sense. Even that woman had been respectful to him, not exactly nice but polite enough. She hadn't even punished him for yelling at her.

But what was really confusing was that man. Venren was what the man had told Harry to call him. Seemed sort of an odd name, but then again Harry had fact become used to odd names in the wizarding world. Harry was surprised to discover that Venren was lord here. Lords weren't generally known for having courteous conversations with their prisoners, were they? But then again, Venren didn't really talk to him as a prisoner. Venren wanted Harry to become part of his family, whatever that meant.

The scary thing was, Harry thought belatedly, was that his heart had skipped a beat when Venren had said that he wanted him to become part of his family. Harry had actually felt a little happy at that thought. Never mind that he didn't even know any of these people, he was happy at the thought of having a family of his own.

But that was stupid, Harry thought, chastising himself. He already had a family back at Hogwarts. He needed to get back to them no mater how much the thought of a family of his own secretly appealed to him.

Harry was brought out of his musings by the sound of the door opening once more. Harry turned and was once again surprised by the looming form of the man he had met before. Venren looking the same, tall and imposing, although he did look a little tired. As Harry continued to watch him, he noted that this time the man held something in his hand.

"I have brought dinner for you, little one, you must be hungry?"

Harry eyed the proffered dish a bit warily before speaking.

"First of all, I may be a little bit shorter than most boys in my class but I am in way 'little'. And second, you wouldn't have to feed me if you would just let me go," Harry replied.

Fenrir only chuckled warmly as he regarded the boy before him once more. Harry, although only an inch or so shorter than the average boy his age was indeed quite small when compared to his were wolf counterparts. But Fenrir comforted himself with the knowledge that that would soon change. He would ease Harry into this life and convince him that he wanted to become a full werewolf and that his heritage as such should be welcomed and not repressed. Fenrir only held out the plate again as he stepped closer to Harry.

"I do not begrudge my duty to feed you. I accept it wholeheartedly and will continue to do so."

Harry looked down at the plate again. The slab of meat did look tempting, the little spirals of steam rose off of it and the small was very enticing. Harry almost did reach out to take it but stopped himself at the last moment.

"No, I can find my own food if you'd only let me go," Harry declared once again. He didn't really know why he was bothering to resist. The truth was, he was quite hungry. But he refused more on the principle of the fact. By accepting food it was almost like accepting his stay there.

Harry was surprised when the man only nodded, although he did look a bit disappointed. But Harry didn't really see why he should. Harry knew that if the man really wanted him to eat anything, the man could easily overpower him and force whatever he wanted down his throat.

Harry continued to watch as Fenrir set the food aside.

Fenrir stood and turned towards Harry once more.

"Well, if you refuse to eat, would you like to meet the rest of your new clan at least? It is almost dusk and they will be retiring soon regardless," Fenrir asked.

Harry opened his mouth, about to declare once again that these people, whoever they were, were not his 'clan' before a thought came to him. The man had mentioned retiring. Did that mean that they were going to sleep soon? Harry very much hoped so, since he would be able to escape then.

"Alright," Harry answered, "I will see them now."

Fenrir nodded and went to open the wide doorway.

Harry's head whipped around as he heard Fenrir shout a deep guttural sound, the likes of which he had never heard.

"What was that?" Harry asked before he could stop himself.

"The way I call my clan together, it is a word in our own tongue meaning 'come together'. We usually speak our own language around ourselves but are speaking English now as a benefit to you, Harry," Fenrir answered. He spoke again a moment later. "You are unable to learn our language yet, but you will in time."

Harry didn't say anything to that. It didn't matter anyways, Harry told himself, since he was going to be escaping that evening.

A fairly large group of people entered the hall. Harry tensed, uncomfortable to be surrounded by so many new people. Almost as soon as Harry's anxiety manifested , a warm hand settled on Harry's shoulder. Harry looked up to see Fenrir once again standing protectively beside him. Harry relaxed imperceptibly next to Fenrir's presence but still stepped a little away from him. Fenrir let his hand drop back to his side resignedly but was a bit pleased when he noticed Harry's calmer demeanor.

"Harry, I would first like to introduce you to the seven family heads. They will all serve you because of your status but they are all of high rank on their own and I would like you to treat them respectfully," Fenrir began as seven adults detached themselves from the group.

Harry vaguely wondered what exactly his status was as he looked over the seven people before him. Harry immediately recognized Catherine, who stood rigidly but seemed more at ease than before. The remaining six were dressed similarly to Venren and Catherine, their fur cloaks each in varying shades of brown and grey.

Harry listened as Fenrir introduced the seven family heads, each bowing in turn. However, Harry only really remembered Catherine and a man that he vaguely remembered from Hogwarts named Thedron. Harry had tried to speak to Thedron actually, however it became quickly apparent that the young family head would not be any help in Harry's bid for escape since Thedron seemed genuinely happy with his new family.

Next, Fenrir introduced 10 young men and women.   
"Harry, these are our clan's scouts. They are being trained in defense and hunting techniques. Once they are trained, they will one day become our clan's family heads. Unfortunately, you will not see them very often since they spend a majority of their time in the forest honing their skill."

Harry nodded and looked over the second group, more out of curiosity than anything. Unlike the family heads, the scouts all promptly kneeled before Harry and Fenrir. Harry recognized Sarah and Render in the group as they stood once more. Harry studied the group warily. He would have to get past them that night if he ever hoped to escape. After the scouts were dismissed they promptly returned to their posts outside. Harry looked expectantly towards the last group. It was made up of kindly looking adults, children, and some adolescents around Harry's age. Harry noted that the last group held none of the reserved feeling of the family heads or stern command of the scouts. They seemed more at ease, if a little excited.

"Harry these are the remaining family members of our clan," Fenrir explained. The group kneeled as well. However once that duty was done, the children rushed towards Harry excitedly. The little girls and boys energetically hugged Harry's legs while they introduced themselves in twittering voices. The adults smiled warmly down at him and patted his shoulders amicably. Even the teenagers around Harry's age greeted him earnestly and happily. Harry was a little surprised with the warm reception. He didn't think he had ever been hugged that much in his whole life. Harry inadvertently smiled down at the children still huddled around his legs and the happy people around him. He shouldn't get so much joy out of meeting strangers, Harry admonished himself. However, he couldn't help it. For part of him, it felt right to be with these people.

"I am happy to have met all of you," Harry answered truthfully, surprising himself. These people did seem genuinely kind, and Harry would have liked to have gotten to know them if not for the little problem of them keeping him captive after rescuing him from Voldemort.

Harry reluctantly disentangled himself from the children and turned back to Fenrir.

"Are we going to sleep soon? I am very tired," Harry said, adding a yawn for effect. Fenrir nodded and led Harry back to his bedding in the back of the room. Harry noted that the family heads led their own family back to specified areas around the room. Harry pulled the thick fur blanket around him and hoped that the rest of the clan would get to sleep quickly.

However, it quickly became apparent that the older members of the clan weren't planning on sleeping for a while. Harry watched as they lit a small fire in the middle of the room and began having quiet discussions about inconsequential things. They took turns telling stories or remembering certain parts of their day.

The mumbled conversations that buzzed around were unexpectedly comforting and did nothing to help Harry stay awake. Harry had actually drifted off a bit several times while he was pretending to sleep.

Finally several hours later, the last adults began to go to sleep. Harry was startled when Fenrir settled into his bedding beside him. Not for the first Harry wondered why he was part of the lord's immediate family. Why would he want Harry in his family? It didn't make sense. Harry knew was missing some critical information about the people around him. However, he couldn't bring himself to worry too much about it, since if all went well he would be leaving that night.

Harry waited until the fire went out and he could hear the calm breathing of all the people around him before he rose. He walked carefully to the doorway on the other side of the hall.

Harry almost couldn't believe his luck when he made it to the doorway without waking anyone. After peaking through the doors and noting that none of the scouts were in sight, Harry walked quickly out of the door and into the nearby forest.

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Fenrir knew that Harry had not yet fallen asleep. He hoped that it was just nervous energy and not some plan that kept Harry awake. However, his hopes were dashed as he heard Harry rise several minutes later.

Sighing, Fenrir silently sat up to watch Harry sneak out of the Hall. Fenrir could see every movement clearly despite the darkness. When Harry slipped out of the door, Fenrir stood to follow. By the time he made it outside, Harry was no where to be seen.

A moment later, a scout detached from a nearby tree and walked to Fenrir's side.

"He went that way sir," the scout informed, pointing ahead. "I assumed you would like to speak with him though, so I told the rest of the scouts to leave him be."

"Yes, thank you Render. Give me your bow and arrow for now. As you know, the forest is teeming with unkind creatures at this time at night," Fenrir ordered before he set off on Harry's trail.

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Harry's apprehension grew with every step. However, he kept trudging along through the forest, without having any concrete clue as to where he was heading. With each step that Harry took, the forest seemed to grow darker.

A moment later, Harry heard a low growl several feet away. It was at that moment that Harry most regretted his lost wand. Almost before Harry could think of what to do, the creature making the noises jumped out at him. Harry only registered a sleek brown coat before he was brought down and pinned heavily to the ground. Harry struggled with the creature for a couple of seconds before he realized that his strength was quickly giving out. As his arms shook, Harry belatedly realized that his attacker vaguely resembled a young brown bear. Just as Harry was about to give up the struggle, he heard a sharp twang of something off in the distance and suddenly a long arrow sprouted from the creature's back.

The young bear like creature reared up in pain as another arrow burrowed itself in its back. Two more followed in quick succession before it was brought down.

Harry scrambled out from under the bear, breathing heavily. Fenrir stepped out of the shadows and pulled Harry into a quick embrace.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Fenrir asked.

Harry pushed Fenrir away.

"You again?! Get away from me, and let me go," Harry ordered, feeling frustrated. He had come all this way only to be 'rescued' again? Well this time he was conscious and was not going back willingly. Harry turned to walk away again, deeper into the forest. Fenrir watched Harry walk away sadly.

"You will only run into something more dangerous, Harry," Fenrir warned.

"I don't care, I am leaving!" Harry shouted back, not really caring who or what heard.

Fenrir sighed and rushed to Harry's side once more.

"Harry, stop. You will never find your way out of this forest alive. You won't get anywhere by running away-"

"And I won't get anywhere by staying here with you either will I?" Harry interrupted.

Fenrir inwardly groaned in frustration once more. Things would be so much easier if he just changed Harry into the werewolf he was meant to be as his instincts were urging him to do. However, Fenrir knew that that wouldn't work out in the long run. His best course of action would be for Harry to understand him and his people first. Only then would Harry consent to fulfilling his heritage and become a full werewolf and Fenrir hoped, his mate eventually. Sighing, Fenrir organized his thoughts so as to try to convince Harry once again that his only rightful place was within his pack.

"Harry, what lies back at your old home that you could not have here? This is your rightful place, surely you have felt that, at least a little already?"

Harry opened his mouth, intending to disagree and say that he hadn't felt anything at all like that during his stay. However, that was not true and Harry couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead he only said,

"You're right, I do feel 'right' here. I can't explain it, but something here seems special that I have never had before. However, you don't understand, I have to get back to Hogwarts."  
"Why? Why do you Have to go back?" Fenrir asked.

"I have to warn them about Voldemort's return," Harry answered immediately.

Fenrir raised an eyebrow sardonically, although Harry did not see it in the darkness. "I assure you Harry, they have discovered his presence by now. And even if they have not, their affairs are no concern of yours anymore," Fenrir answered.

Harry had to resist the urge to stomp his feet childishly.

"Fine, perhaps that is not a good enough reason to return. However, I have spent four Years at Hogwarts, I have friends there, people I care about. You can not just up and decide one day that I am part of your clan and expect me to forget my whole life previously!" Harry shouted.

Fenrir regarded Harry for a moment. Harry did have a point, he supposed. It was rare that dormant werewolf heritage manifested itself in wizard families. Usually lycan bearers were born werewolves already and raised knowing their duty and place in the werewolf hierarchy. Harry had no such previous knowledge and was reacting poorly to the change in lifestyle already. Fenrir hadn't even told Harry about his true identity or the tiny little fact that he and the rest of his pack were werewolves! Perhaps he should approach Harry's situation differently.

"I suppose a compromise is in order then?" Fenrir asked.

Harry looked up at Fenrir, surprised.

"I did not know that kidnappers were inclined to compromise with their prisoners," Harry replied.

"I am not your kidnapper, Harry," Fenrir corrected pointedly. "I am your family, I have saved you on two separate occasions already and care about what you want and need. I would have thought that was apparent to you already."

Harry shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "Thanks for saving me by the way," Harry said. "It was just…I don't like being stuck here and that has been occupying my mind," Harry explained.

"I understand," Fenrir replied. "Hopefully this compromise will sort things out then."

Harry nodded enthusiastically.

"Now, I propose that you spend the next month here-"

"A month!" Harry exclaimed before Fenrir continued.

"Yes a month. And after that month I will explain everything to you. The reason why I chose you to become part of our clan. Why you instinctively feel comfortable here, and why I hope you continue living here with us," Fenrir took a deep breath before continuing. "And in return for your cooperation and open mind, once the month is up and I have explained everything to you…I will allow you to leave if you choose. I will give you your wand and make sure that you return to your school and friends safely, if that is what you wish."

"And if I refuse?" Harry asked.

"Myself and the scouts will take turns watching over you while you walk circles in the forest for the next…70 years or so," Fenrir answered with a wry smile.  
"That isn't much of a choice is it?" Harry asked.

"You always have a choice, Harry. It is not my goal to entrap you. A month isn't so much to ask anyways, is it? Especially for someone that has saved your life and genuinely cares for you?"

Harry sighed. "Well, when you put it that way, it is a bit hard to refuse." Then after a moment's thought, " Fine, I will stay here for one month, but that is it. And then you'll let me go home?"

"Yes, if that is still what you wish at the end of the month," Fenrir confirmed.

"Alright, I agree to that then," Harry answered.

Fenrir nodded, happy that he had gained Harry's somewhat willing cooperation for the next month but a bit apprehensive that Harry would demand to leave at the end of it…

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Thanks for reading. Any reviews are welcome and will be greeted enthusiastically.


	5. Day in the Life

-1AN: Thank you so much for your reviews!!!

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Chapter 5:

Harry followed Fenrir dejectedly through the forest. He couldn't believe he agreed to stay with these people for a month. Sure, it wasn't like he really had a choice but staying here a month? A month just wasted, especially when there was so much more he had to do. He had to tell Dumbledore about Voldemort's return…and Cedric's death. Although, on second thought, Harry realized that Fenrir was right. Dumbledore probably was already aware of Voldemort's return. And even if Harry was somehow miraculously able to return to Hogwarts, there was little he would have been able to do in any case.

Staying a month wouldn't be that bad, Harry concluded. These people didn't hurt him, had given him food, and even new clothes. No, it wasn't his physical well being that Harry was worried about. It was just that these people were so eccentric. He didn't understand their customs or their behavior. They weren't muggles, Harry had seen them create fire the night before, but without a wand. So they weren't really wizards either. It just didn't make sense.

That was one thing that Harry was looking forward to at the end of the month. Discovering why he was here in the first place. Harry supposed he should be grateful, whatever the reason. He would most likely be dead or worse if he had been left with Voldemort. No, even if things were a little different here, it was still better than being left with Voldemort Harry concluded.

By the time that Harry had his thoughts in order, Fenrir had led them both back to familiar ground of the clearing. Harry looked around and in the dim light, he could make out other such large halls made of trees. Harry counted five large structures, including the one he had been kept in most of the day. The buildings looked so natural that they almost blended in with the trees.

As Harry looked closer, he could vaguely see several scouts surrounding the clearing as well.

"I never had a chance, did I?" Harry asked, just realizing that he had only gotten so far away from the clearing because the scouts had allowed him to.

Fenrir smirked before replying. "No, you have very little chance to outrun us or harm us as you are now, even if you did have your wand," Fenrir answered as he opened the door to the sleeping den.

Harry sighed and made his way back pile of blankets, for once looking forward to the warmth and comfort that some rest would provide him.

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Dumbledore sighed as he was finally able to sit down at his desk. The night before had been extremely hectic. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

Everything had been going well when finally an alarm went off, signaling that someone had reached the trophy. Dumbledore remembered how he and several others cleared the hedges. They found the champions from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons unconscious. But the Hogwarts champions, Cedric and Harry…were missing.

Mad Eye, or who Dumbledore believed was Mad Eye started laughing maniacally, unable to help himself. It was then that pandemonium broke out, the parents and students all wondering where the Hogwarts champions had gone.

Luckily, Dumbledore was able to catch Mad Eye before he was able to apparate away. It was then that Dumbledore really began to worry.

He had discovered that Mad Eye was really Barty Crouch Jr. and had replaced the trophy with a portkey, a portkey directly to Voldemort.

Immediately after that, Snape's mark had begun burning, confirming everything that Crouch Jr. had said about Voldemort's return.

Thinking quickly, Dumbledore called together the remaining members of the Order of Phoenix. He gave them orders to start searching for any clue for where Harry and Cedric might be located.

Dumbledore had then done what he hoped he would never have to do again, and asked Snape to resume his role as a Deatheater for Voldemort. It was regretful, but he was the Order's best chance of bringing the two boys safely home.

All in all, the night had been anything but fruitful. Dumbledore had no idea where either Cedric or Harry was, the minister didn't even believe in the Voldemort's return and was perfectly happy to forget this whole night even happened after he had ordered that Crouch Jr. be kissed by a dementor.

Dumbledore could only hope that Harry and Cedric were still alive-. Dumbledore's thoughts were interrupted by firm knocking on his office door.

"Come in," Dumbledore said wearily.

Professor Snape walked through the door quickly and started speaking without preamble as was his nature.

"I have convinced the Dark Lord once more of my loyalty," Snape began tonelessly.

"Any idea where Harry or Cedric might be located?" Dumbledore asked hopefully.

Snape sighed but continued. "Unfortunately, I reached the Dark Lord after the rebirthing ceremony was completed. I didn't see Mr. Diggory or Mr. Potter anywhere on the premises…Although the Dark Lord did inform me that I should count myself lucky since I 'will never have to teach either boy ever again'."

Dumbledore looked down regretfully. "Thank you. I know you tried your best. Please continue to try to find out anything that may lead to their possible rescue, Severus."

Professor Snape nodded understandingly before leaving Dumbledore's office quickly.

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Harry woke up to the sound of friendly bickering. He opened one eye to see two of the small children that he had met the other day fighting over a small green ball.

"It's mine!" the small girl whined.

"It was yours, now it's mine!" the young boy returned.

Suddenly the young girl launched herself at her play mate and tackled him to the ground with a resounding smack. Harry winced automatically, thinking that that must have hurt. However, the boy only laughed and pushed back just as forcefully. Just when Harry was getting worried that the two were playing too roughly, an adult came to break them up.

Harry's eyes widened as he watched the older woman pull the two children apart by lifting them easily by the back of their shirts. Harry knew each child probably weighed at least 50 pounds, but the old woman lifted them as if they were only a small bag of rice.

"Now, I've told you two time and time again, no rough housing in the sleeping den, go outside for that sort of thing," The woman ordered and sent the two on their way.

After the children had scampered off, Harry looked around once more. Several people around him were still sleeping or drifting off calmly.

Harry looked out the open door to notice that it was already broad daylight. Harry's head whipped around once more. Did he just see an _open_ door?"

Harry leapt up happily and nimbly sprinted across the hall to the door. He stepped outside happily.

Looking around the clearing, Harry recognized many of the people that he had met the night before. He saw some adults bustling around a table and several surrounding cauldrons with fire beneath them off in the corner of the clearing that he hadn't noticed before.

Several children were playing off to the side as well. Curiously, Harry stepped forward a bit more. Some people noticed him but only bowed their head and smiled in greeting. Harry grinned in return. So he wasn't going to be forced to stay trapped in that room all month? Harry wondered hopefully.

Harry's heart fell when he saw Catherine approaching, she surely was going to make him go back inside. However, Catherine surprised Harry when she only ushered him to the busy group.

Harry was led to the large circular table. He noticed that the short tree stumps which surrounded the table and grew in the shape of chairs. Catherine directed him to sit in one and left a moment later.

Harry looked around, a little lost. Everyone was bustling around, talking and laughing. But almost as soon as Catherine had left, she came back, this time with a bowl of what looked like soup.

"You have missed our morning communal meal, but this should keep you satisfied until this evening," Catherine informed.

Harry looked down at the bowl of warm soup and realized how hungry he actually was. He hadn't eaten at all the day before.

Harry nodded his thanks as he happily started devouring his meal. He had taken a few spoonfuls when he noticed that Catherine had begun speaking once more.

"I know you were introduced to everyone yesterday, but I have called together several of your age mates once again. They will show you around after you are finished."

Harry looked around Catherine to see two boys his own age and a girl that looked to be a little bit older.

"You don't have to do that," Harry replied quickly. "I can find my own way around."

"Nonsense," Catherine said. "These three will show you around after you are finished," Catherine repeated before turning to the three adolescents behind her. "If you decide to explore outside of our immediate territory make sure you are back in time for our evening meal,"

The three nodded dutifully as Catherine left to oversee the others.

Harry watched as the three came closer. They each kneeled before standing. They each smiled welcomingly at Harry.

"Just to remind you, my name is Merri, this is John, and this is Karl," the girl introduced as she pointed to her two friends who were evidently twins, Harry noticed.

"Nice to meet you once more. However, I meant what I said before, you don't have to show me around just because you were ordered to," Harry repeated as he turned back to his soup, feeling a little disappointed in these people without knowing why.

However, Harry was surprised once more when the three adolescents hurriedly sat down beside him. This time Karl began speaking.

"What gave you that idea? Oh no, you should have seen everyone this morning. Our Lord called us all together and asked us who would like to keep you company and show you around while he was away on the hunt with the others. Everyone who didn't have prior duties volunteered. We had the honor of being chosen because we were closest to your age, John and I are 15 and Merri here is 17. Oh and we were also chosen because we were thought responsible enough not to pester you too much," Karl added with a smile.

Harry smiled in return, relieved that these people chose on their own to spend time with him. Although it was a bit weird to have people wanting his attention because he was a new 'family member' and not just because of his name.

Harry watched his three companions while they spoke to one another. The girl had long brown hair, tied back in a loose braid with sharp brown eyes. The twins had dirty blond shaggy hair and dark blue eyes. The three friends seemed comfortable in each other's company. And Harry felt himself envying their carefree manner.

"So are you ready to go look around?" John asked excitedly after Harry had finished his meal.

Harry nodded, not able to keep a bit of his own excitement from creeping up. As Harry was shown around, he also was reintroduced to several of the people that he had met the night before. The children seemed particularly enthusiastic in his presence. Harry felt grateful that his three companions were able to keep the children's antics to a minimum. Meeting more of the members of the clan reminded Harry of one prominent member who was not present.

"You said that Venren was out hunting?" Harry asked, turning to Karl.

The soft laughter of several of the younger children sounded behind them. "What?" Harry asked, confused.

"Yes, he is, he should be back this evening," Merri cut in with a glare to the children behind her.

Harry looked back again. "What did I say that was funny?" Harry asked concernedly.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just that we usually refer to him as "Lord", the children aren't used to his other name," Merri explained quickly.

For Harry had no way of knowing that Venren was the werewolf word reserved for the older in a mating relationship. Fenrir had made it perfectly clear to Merri that she was to show Harry around while keeping him oblivious of his future role in the pack so that he would be able to get to know the pack without being impeded by his past suppositions about werewolves. And Merri was doing admirably well so far, if not for those children giggling behind her!

"Oh," Harry replied. "Well I hope he doesn't mind me calling him Venren. I don't really feel comfortable calling him lord anyways."

"That's fine," Merri replied calmly, happy that the children had finally held their tongues. "If he told you to call him that, then there is no problem."

Harry nodded and went back to listening attentively while Karl pointed out various things of importance.

For the next hour or so, Harry was shown around the immediate area. Harry was right when he counted five structures before. The one that Harry had spent his time in was reserved for sleeping, another one was for meetings, one bathhouse, one dining hall, and one for storage of various items.

In the hour that Harry had spent being shown around, he had come to understand that these people did most things as a group. They ate together twice a day, morning meal and evening meal and they slept next to one another in the same hall every night. Now that he had gotten to know his surroundings and gotten to know the people a little better, Harry realized that this clan didn't seem so eccentric anymore, just a little different from what he was used to. One thing Harry was certain of was that if he ended up staying with these people, he wouldn't become lonely any time soon. And even though he was loath to admit it, that thought was anything but unpleasant.

"Merri, let's show him the falls," Karl said excitedly, effectively breaking Harry from his thoughts.

"The falls?" Harry asked.

"Oh you have to see it," John agreed. "In the forest there is the best water fall you have ever seen! The pool there is deep enough so we often go there and swim," John elaborated.

Merri thought for a moment and looked up at the sky. "Well…I suppose we could go. If we didn't spend too much time there, we have to back in time for evening meal of course."

Karl and John nodded enthusiastically before rushing off. Harry found himself being tugged excitedly through the clearing as they quickly neared the edge of the forest.

"Are you sure about this?" Harry asked. He hadn't really had an exemplary experience the last time he had ventured into the forest and wasn't in a hurry for a repeat performance.

"Of course," Karl exclaimed.

"There isn't anything in the forest that could harm you during daylight," Merri said. "Besides, there are scouts you could call for help. They are placed everywhere throughout the forest even if you don't see them," Merri explained.

"Plus, you're with us," John added lightheartedly, though seriously.

Harry laughed but realized the truth behind John's words. Both John and Karl were robust young men. Although innocent looking enough, they could cause damage. Even Merri seemed to be a resilient young woman who would not go down without a fight. Harry vaguely wondered why he hadn't noticed how small he was when compared with nearly everyone else he had met recently. But then again, he was used to be shorter than his male friends, so this was no different. It was only that the difference radically increased when he compared himself to John and Karl. Harry shrugged off his musings, his stature couldn't be helped, not by any means that he knew anyways. And it wasn't like any of these people held his differences against him, hadn't even mentioned it actually. So Harry allowed himself to be led through the forest, his worries cast aside.

He was forced to spend a month with these people, he might as well enjoy his time here, Harry concluded.

About half an hour later, Harry started to hear the sound of water up ahead. Once Harry walked through the final line of trees, he was able to clearly see the large waterfall before him. He had to agree with John, it was the greatest waterfall he had ever seen. The water was crisp, blue, and sparkling.

Without further ado, John and Karl stripped off their shirts and jumped into the pool. Merri followed a moment later after stripping down to her undershirt.

"Come on, Harry," John and Karl chorused.

Harry looked at the water once more, it did look very inviting. Without another thought, Harry flung his shirt to the side and tugged off his boots. After he jumped in after them, Harry was pelted with water on all sides. A water fight quickly ensued. A while later Harry dragged himself languidly upon the bank of the pool. John, Karl, and Merri followed tiredly, laughing as they pulled themselves to lie next to Harry.

"That was the most fun I've had in a long time," Harry said, his breath still coming out in shorts gasps as he tried to calm his heart which was still beating wildly.

"I agree," Karl mumbled with his eyes closed. "I love wining water fights."

"What?" Merri replied, propping herself up on her elbow so she could mockingly glare at Karl. "Stop deluding yourself, I was the one who won the water fight."

Harry laughed again. "I don't really see how any of us could say we won. We're all soaking wet and tired."

"True," John muttered as he turned to his side and shut his eyes.

"Don't go to sleep!" Merri ordered as she got up quickly. "If we're to make it back on time, we should leave soon."

Karl shrugged. "Alright, I'm getting up." John followed quickly. Harry watched as all traces of weariness seemed to disappear from his companions after a few minutes rest. Harry had never thought of himself as out of shape, but here he was still breathing deeply and feeling bone tired while John, Karl, and Merri were bustling around getting their clothes together.

Harry's legs felt as if they were made of jelly. The thought of moving did not seem appealing in the slightest.

A moment later, John came back into Harry's line of vision. John chuckled amusedly and held out a hand for Harry. "Come on sleepy head. Our Lord would have our hides if we left you here.

Harry rolled his eyes, but reached out his left hand to take the offered help. As John helped Harry to his feet, Harry's eyes glanced over his left arm. Harry jerked as his eyes landed on the circle of blue dots that decorated the underside of his forearm.

Harry wavered slightly as he stood. He grasped his arm once more and looked more intently at the mark on his arm. Harry wiped it several times before accepting that the mark was inside his skin and not painted on.

"What is this?" Harry asked John apprehensively.

John looked down at his arm before pulling back.

"Oh…"

"Oh what?" Harry asked again. "What is it?"

"Um-"

"John! Come here!" Merri shouted from the other side of the large pond.

John quickly walked over to Merri.

"Merri, what should I tell him?" John asked quickly, knowing that the sound of the waterfall would drown out his words for Harry's human ears.

Merri sighed. "You heard Fenrir, just as I did. We're not to let on about our heritage as werewolves or about his future relationship with Fenrir until Fenrir says he's ready. Just tell him you don't know and to ask Fenrir if he wants to know," Merri advised.

"Alright," John agreed as he picked up Harry's clothes. Harry watched John suspiciously as he came walking back to him.

"What was that about?" Harry asked critically as he gestured to the other side of the pool where Merri still stood talking to Karl.

"Oh nothing, Merri just wanted me to get your clothes for you," John lied as he held out Harry's shirt and shoes.

Harry took the clothes but spoke once more.

"So you know nothing of what this is?" Harry asked once again as he held out his arm.

John glanced down at the mark perfunctorily and answered immediately. "Oh that, well…no, I don't know what that is from. Perhaps you should ask our Lord when we return." John suggested.

Harry still looked skeptical but kept his mouth closed.

"Ready?" Karl asked after Harry had put his shoes and shirt back on.

Harry nodded curtly, still pondering the mark on his arm. What could it mean?

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Any questions feel free to ask and I'll answer if I can. Thanks for reading and all reviews are welcome!!


	6. gathering conflict

-1Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

Note: Thank you So Much to all of you that reviewed!

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Chapter 6

Dumbledore walked silently through the now empty halls of Hogwarts, deep in thought. It had been two days since Harry and Cedric disappeared and yet there was still no sign of either of them.

The Headmaster had never seen such a melancholy end of the year feast as he had the night before. Although, most of the students and the rest of the wizarding world didn't specifically know that their disappearance had anything to do with Voldemort since the minister had refused to allow that information into print, they all did know that something serious had happened.

Dumbledore sighed. If only he could find them! But he could only hope that this meeting would yield some kind of information to work with. The headmaster composed himself once more before entering the meeting room.

Fortunately, most everyone had already arrived. Dumbledore took his seat at the head of the table and began the meeting.

"Any word of either Harry or Cedric?" Dumbledore began without preamble as he addressed the room at large.

Nymphadora Tonks rose and walked over a bit shakily to the headmaster.

She handed a crumpled photograph to Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry, this was the only proof that Kingsley and I were able to retrieve before the minister ordered the evidence hidden for reasons of national security. Apparently he doesn't want a panic to break out," Tonks informed in a shallow monotone unlike her usual way of speaking.

Dumbledore looked down gravely at the photograph. And although it was a wizarding photograph, nothing in the picture moved, save for the slight ruffling of the boy's clothes caused by the wind.

It was Cedric Diggory. Cedric was hanging grotesquely from a tree, his limbs dangling uselessly like some obscene kind of scarecrow. Above his drooping head a large piece of wood was nailed. On the board was written,

"Refuse the Dark Lord if you choose

And it will be your life you'll loose.

For sacrifice is weak and dying,

His life next, I will be supplying."

Dumbledore sighed tiredly and passed the photograph to the person on his left. Tonks returned to her seat as the photograph passed along the circle. Blood left the faces of each it reached as they surveyed the picture. Snape, the last person to receive the photograph, tossed it unceremoniously back to Tonks.

"Well, Lucius did always have a way with words," Snape replied snidely. Everyone, save Dumbledore, turned to glare heatedly at Snape.

"That's all you have to say?" The real Moody growled. "A boy is dead and all you can do is remark on your death eater friend's skill at poetry!"

Snape looked back across at Moody condescendingly.

"He is not my friend. And neither is that a mere poem. It is a message," Snape informed, his voice low but menacing.

"Do tell us then, Snape. Not all of us are as skilled at interpreting the words of death eaters as you are," Moody retorted.

Snape glared witheringly but continued. "I would have thought it fairly obvious. His words imply that Potter is dying in his company as we speak and will be murdered soon."

Several people who had not understood the meaning of the poem in their brief glance gasped at the news.

"But that just can't be Severus," McGonagall said, shaking her head in disbelief. "You can save him, you must-"

"Minerva, as much as it _pains_ me to admit this, but my position in the Dark Lord's company has helped to provide me little information regarding Potter's whereabouts. Actually, the only information that I did bring to this meeting was the fact that Lucius has left Britain recently," Snape replied.

"You think Voldemort had Lucius moved the boy out of the country?" Moody asked.

"I can not say for certain. I only know that Lucius is no longer in Britain," Snape repeated once more.

Suddenly, the meeting room door was pushed open. Each of the members of the Order of Phoenix immediately stood, unused to being interrupted. A haggard looking Remus Lupin revealed himself a moment later. The headmaster rushed forward.

"Remus, do sit down. You looked absolutely exhausted," Dumbledore admonished.

Severus spoke a moment later.

"Yes, that will happen to you if you apparate across the ocean from Germany without taking the proper precautions. Why you couldn't spy on the werewolf packs in your _own_ country is mystery to me. Not to mention that having a spy with our own werewolf packs would be more logical if not more convenient-"

"That is enough, Severus," Dumbledore interrupted firmly. Remus glared warily at Snape before turning back to Dumbledore.

"Thank you, Albus, but I'll be all right," Remus muttered.

"I'm glad to hear that, but what caused you to come here in such a hurry? All is right with your position with the werewolf packs in Germany, I hope."

"Yes, I am doing well with them, as well as can be expected I suppose. But no, the reason I came was because I happened to see Malfoy Sr. speaking with my pack's lord,"

"Lord Voldemort?" Tonks asked.

"Oh, no. Werewolves don't recognize he who must not be named as their lord, even though most respect him. You see, each pack has a lord, an alpha wolf you could say.

"And your pack's lord was meeting with Lucius Malfoy?" Dumbledore prompted.

"Yes, I only got a glimpse of them together…but there is a rumor going around the pack that the other packs throughout Europe are going to be gathered together as well to speak with Lucius Malfoy."

"What is he gathering the packs for?" Snape demanded.

"I don't know! I am not privileged enough to be given that sort of information. I will probably be notified of the specifics with the rest of the pack. Which is why I chose to come tell you what I know now, so you'll have enough time to prepare for whatever they may have planned."

"Thank you, Remus," Dumbledore said solemnly before turning the group at large.

"The fact still remains that Harry is missing. I want all of your resources to continue to be devoted to finding any information about his whereabouts. However, I doubt that Harry's disappearance and Voldemort's efforts to contact the werewolf packs on the continent are entirely separate. Therefore, I intend to place a tracking charm on Remus. We will follow the new werewolf packs if or when they ever relocate. Hopefully, they may lead us to Harry."

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Harry was a bit surprised when he walked back into the center clearing of his temporary home. Fenrir and several others were dragging the huge carcass of what vaguely resembled a deer…except this deer had a huge jaw and talons. Harry stood transfixed as he watched Venren toss the carcass onto a nearby worktable as if it weighed nothing. A moment later several other adults bustled over and started skinning the animal and cutting of its antlers. Harry turned away from the bloody process as Karl stepped up beside him once more.

"You have an audience, Harry," Karl informed with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Harry turned curiously to see the same group of young children that he was beginning to dread. Not that he didn't like them, he was growing quite fond of them actually, it was only that they were so rambunctious. Harry watched them warily as they surrounded him like they usually did, with the littlest ones holding onto his legs.

"Come play a game with us before evening meal?" several asked plaintively.

"Yes, you spent all day at the falls away from us. Now play with us," Another one added.

Harry looked back at Karl who just looked amused by the situation.

"Alright, I'll play. Just don't expect too much, I am a bit tired," Harry replied, smiling slightly at the happy faces of the children around him.

Harry listened intently to the rules of the game. They were not complicated and were basically the same as tag. However, after playing a few games, Harry came to discover that this version was a lot more aggressive. Instead of just tagging the players, one had to basically pin them to the ground before they were considered out of the game. After being tackled by a ten year old, which was a bit embarrassing, Harry was happy to be called to dinner.

"They are a bit rough," John explained after he and Merri had joined up Harry and Karl on their way to dinner.

"Yes, I'll have to have a word with them about that," Merri muttered a bit threateningly.

"They're just excitable," Harry said, not wanting the children to get yelled at just because they were a little forceful.

Merri just smirked but didn't say anything in reply.

As Harry walked back into the clearing he could immediately smell the roasting meat. Luckily though, their dinner no longer resembled a bloody mess. The animal's meatiest parts were now trussed up above a large fire in the center of the clearing. Karl led Harry past the fire and into the dinning hall. Several people were already seated and almost all the children were sitting together at the end of the table.

Without thinking, Harry sat down gratefully at the first available spot he saw before being pushed up again. Harry looked up embarrassedly at Merri.

"Sorry, was I not supposed to sit down? Am I supposed to sit outside or something?" Harry asked, not really knowing what he was supposed to do since he hadn't eaten with the whole clan before.

John laughed at Harry's question before being silenced by a look from Merri. Merri began speaking a moment later.

"No, Harry you are not supposed to sit outside. Remember how you were told about the individual families in the clan? Once you are over a certain age you stop sitting with your friends as the children do, but you sit with your immediate family. Each family has their specific rank and spot around the table. You see, I sit there with my family," Merri pointed over to the other side of the table. "And John and Karl sit here with their family."

Harry nodded his understanding.

"Alright, but then where do I sit? I don't have an immediate family here, so where do the…guests sit?" Harry asked, thinking that 'kidnap victims' wouldn't go over to well.

"Oh, well you would sit up there at the head of the table, with our Lord. He is your immediate family here," John answered as if it were obvious.

"What?" Harry asked, whipping his head around.

"Our Lord…your immediate family, what don't you understand? He said he had explained this to you Harry," Merri asked confusedly.

"Well…yes he did, I suppose. He said he wanted me to a part of your family but I thought he meant like…a subject or something I suppose. Not an immediate member of his family," Harry explained.

John laughed again and even Merri had a small smile on her face.

"No, Harry. Why do you think your sleeping spot is next to our Lord's?"

Harry shrugged. "I didn't really think about it, yesterday was a bit overwhelming."

Merri nodded understandingly.

"Well now you know, you are part of Venren's immediate family, so go take your place at the head of the table, alright?"

Harry nodded and walked to his seat a little self-consciously even though there were few people in the room yet besides the children. Harry was a bit nervous until Karl gave him a quick wave from the other side of the table. Harry smiled back and felt a bit of the tension ease as he settled into his chair which felt oddly comfortable for being made entirely of wood.

A moment later the large door of the dinning hall was thrown open and several adults came in carrying large plates laden with cut up meat. They were closely followed by the family heads, the rest of the hunting party, and finally Fenrir.

Harry looked up expectantly, and a bit nervously, hoping that Merri was indeed right and that he was sitting in the right seat.

Fenrir smiled broadly upon seeing Harry. As Fenrir neared he placed his hand possessively on the back of Harry's head, tilting it so he could look down at his face.

"How are you my Senren?" Fenrir asked.

"I'm fine," Harry answered, smiling despite himself. "But what does Senren mean?"

"Oh, just my name for you," Fenrir answered, withholding the fact that the word Senren was the counterpart to the word Venren.

Harry shrugged and turned back to watch everyone else take their seats. Once everyone was seated they turned expectantly towards the head of the table. Fenrir stood and served Harry and himself several large pieces of meat. Immediately afterwards everyone else began serving themselves as well.

Harry let out a little breath as everyone began talking and eating. Apparently, dinner was not a formal affair, something that Harry was very thankful for. Although it was a little awkward to eat the meat with his hands, Harry found that he was enjoying himself as he listened to the happy chatter of those around him.

After Harry had finished, Fenrir reached out and grabbed another bowl that had been lain on the table before. He pushed it over to Harry. Harry looked down into the bowl and was surprised that it was not full of meat like every other bowl.

"I took the liberty of finding you some fruit while I was out today," Fenrir offered.

"T-Thank you," Harry stammered, surprised that the other man had bothered to remember him while he was out in the forest that day. "But doesn't anyone else want some?" Harry asked looking at the bowl again which only held several pieces of fruit.

"Oh no, everyone else here prefers meat. Is this fruit to your liking?" Fenrir asked concernedly.

"Yes, I was just wondering," Harry answered as he took the bowl gratefully. Fenrir nodded and returned to his food.

After dinner Harry followed the rest of the pack into the sleeping den. Although, unlike the night before, Harry decided to stay awake like the rest of the pack did the night before. Once the younger children were put to sleep, everyone else gathered around the central fire.

Harry was happy to discover that there was no social seating at the fire gatherings since he was able to sit beside his new friends. Still, Harry was a bit inwardly pleased when Fenrir came to sit beside him as well.

For the next few hours Harry forgot the problems of his situation and listened attentively to the people around him. Some only told short humorous stories about their day, some sang a song, and a few told elaborate fictional tales. It was all very entertaining and reminded Harry of his common room late at night. And even though Harry was loath to admit it, this situation was much more comforting.

Harry laughed quietly as John and Karl started slumping over before him. Merri followed soon after as well, her head hunched over on Harry's shoulder. Harry sighed and gave in as he lay down as well with John, Karl, and Merri curled up around him, keeping him warm.

A moment later Fenrir lifted up Harry's head and arms and placed them on his lap in a more comfortable position. After a hint of indecision, Harry stayed put and sighed contentedly.

Harry didn't know exactly when he drifted off, but sometime later he felt himself being lifted. Harry soon found himself back in his usual bundle of furs and blankets. Turning slightly, Harry moved into a more comfortable position, intent on drifting back to sleep. However, something was tickling the back of his mind. He had forgotten something…And as if on cue, Harry's arm started itching. In that moment Harry recalled the mark on his arm and that he had meant to ask Fenrir about it. Harry sighed. It was too late to ask now.

Harry turned over in his bed roll, expecting to see Fenrir sleeping a ways away. But when Harry turned he was surprised to see Fenrir propped up on his arm facing him only about a foot away.

Harry stared at Fenrir a moment, too surprised to say anything. The other man had clearly been watching Harry sleep. That was a little weird, Harry had to admit, even for these people. But for some reason it did not bother Harry as much as it could have.

"You're still awake?" Harry finally spoke, only to inwardly curse, of course the other man was awake, it was obvious.

However Fenrir only smirked.

"Yes, I find it hard to fall asleep before the rest of my family does. And you, my Harry are still awake, so I am still awake," Fenrir answered.

Harry looked down awkwardly, no one had called them their Harry before. But he would not let the other man deter him, he would ask his question. And since Fenrir was obviously awake, now was as good a time as any.

"Yes…about that. I'm awake because I was wondering…" Harry trailed off, belatedly wondering if Fenrir would take offense at being accused of marking his arm. But then again, who else could it have been? Gathering up his courage, Harry continued on bluntly.

"What I want to know is why you did this to my arm?" Harry asked as he stretched out his arm with the circle of blue dots on it.

Fenrir's eyes glinted momentarily as he looked down at the mark on the boy's arm.

"What is it?" Harry asked again impatiently.

"In the simplest terms, it marks you as part of my family," Fenrir answered.

"Will it go away when I leave?" Harry asked. True, the mark didn't really bother him but he was sick of markings. The one on his forehead was more than enough.

However, when Harry saw the dark look that passed over Fenrir's face, he wished that he had not asked.

"_If _you leave," Fenrir began, practically growling, "the mark will not go away… unless you get another one in it's place."

"Another one? From where?" Harry asked despite himself.

Fenrir sighed and reaching out, brushed a lock of hair from Harry's face.

"Why do you concern yourself with such things? Are you not happy here? Am I not treating you well?"

Harry nodded. "I am happy here, it's just…"

"Just what Harry? Thedron has told me a little more about your past at that school. You were relied upon too much there. For once do not worry. You are safe here, what else matters."

"But what about-"

"No Harry. You have agreed to stay here and live by our rules during that time. And as leader of this pa-clan I am ordering you to not worry."

Harry sighed and looked down. There was no use arguing with the other man. Harry turned back around, ignoring Venren for the conversation was obviously over.

"Would you like to see the rest of our territory tomorrow?" Fenrir continued, surprising Harry.

"Don't you have to go hunting tomorrow?" Harry asked a bit spitefully, feeling upset still.

"The hunting group and I tracked a larger prey than usual. There is enough food for tomorrow I think."

"Alright then," Harry answered, surprised to find himself pleased that his company was wanted, yet again.

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All reviews are welcome. Feel free to ask any question. Thanks for reading!


	7. Fenrir's Protection

-1Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

You Readers are Wonderful, thank you so much for your feedback, sorry this chapter took a while.

A/N: To answer some questions: No, Harry does not know that Fenrir is Fenrir, I just messed up last chapter, sorry about that. On to the story…

Chapter 7:

Lucius sighed contently. It was nice being back in England. Not that he minded other countries, he liked many actually. But being back in England meant that his time with the werewolves was coming to an end.

And that thought made him exceedingly pleased. For Lucius did not like werewolves, not at all. They were too uncivilized and wild. Lucius was admittedly afraid of them, like all logical people should be. But for all that there was a deeper reason behind his hatred of werewolves.

They could not be controlled through ordinary means. They were powerful enough that brute strength would hardly ever work and his other ways of manipulation were useless. For werewolves did not want money or possessions, did not care about political power, and were not impressed with his charm and elegant manner. They did not respect him or acknowledge his importance in any way. This, quite frankly pissed Lucius off to no end.

When Lucius had first sought out the other packs in Europe he had to practically beg to meet with the pack leaders. And even when he was finally allowed to meet with them Lucius got the distinct impression that they were only doing so for sheer entertainment sake.

"And what news does your _esteemed_ lord bring us?" one of the pack leaders had asked mockingly. It took all of Lucius' resolve not to back away, he could hear the bitingly laughter of other werewolves in the background.

"My lord has some information that will interest you. In return he only asks-" Lucius began only to be interrupted.

"_Humans_ do not ask Anything from us. Tell your lord that he can murder as many humans as he bloody well pleases as long as he stays away from our forests," sneered one of the younger and more impatient looking pack leaders.

"Now, now, let the pretty blond speak," admonished another pack leader gently although the look in his eye was still menacing.

Lucius took a deep breath before continuing once more. "My lord knows of the location of a lycan bearer-" Lucius waited for the sudden outburst that erupted from the werewolves to pass. "However, the forest in which the bearer resides is too dense and protected for him to breach alone. If my lord leads you to this forest would you guide him through the rest of way and hold off the rival pack in exchange?"

"If we were to agree to this, who would get possession of the lycan bearer?" The menacing looking werewolf asked carefully.

"You would, of course, or any of the pack leaders here," Lucius added quickly. "My lord only wishes that the lycan bearer is removed from the current pack he is with."

While the werewolf pack leaders conferred amongst themselves, Lucius hoped they accepted his words as truth.

Of course Lucius knew that this was most likely not the case. If he had to guess, he would suppose that it was the Potter boy who was the lycan bearer. And as such, Voldemort would have the boy killed as soon as possible. But of course, the other werewolves did not have to know this.

Despite Lucius' hatred of the werewolves and the werewolves apparent apathy towards him, they had worked out a decent agreement: They would allow Voldemort to follow them in their pursuit of the lycan bearer in exchange for information on the bearer's location and eventual possession of the lycan bearer. (How they planed on dividing up "possession" of the boy Lucius didn't know, nor did he care to know).

All that Lucius cared about was the fact that the dark lord would indeed be pleased with him when he brought five werewolf packs back with him to Britain. His duty was done.

14 or 15? Harry couldn't remember exactly how many days he had spent with his new 'family' as they encouraged him to call them. An average month was thirty days so that meant that he had 16, or 15 days left with them. Although it was important keeping track of days, Harry couldn't really bring himself to get too upset over how many exact days he had left. He was actually enjoying himself.

Harry had never really understood how stressful his life was before until he could compare it to the complete calm that he experienced recently. Eventually he knew he would have to go back to his old life, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself now though.

And Harry admitted that he did enjoy himself. Every morning he would have breakfast with everyone in the dining hall. After that he would either spend the rest of the day at the falls with Merri, John, and Karl or go run around with the rest of the children. Every couple of days Venren would stay home from the hunt and show Harry around the rest of forest. Harry's evening were usually spent around the fire while he listened to stories, songs, or just gossip about the days events.

And despite everything, the time Harry spent with his new family was indescribably normal. Harry never thought that he would ever come to think that sleeping in furs on the ground and spending his days running through grass and trees were normal. But who was he to complain, for now he was happy.

Unfortunately the peace of Harry's newfound home shattered soon afterwards.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked as he entered the clearing after returning from his midday nap. Unlike most times during the day, the clearing was completely empty, save for a few scouts that remained stationed around the perimeter.

"Our Lord gathered everyone in the clearing into the meeting hall a few minutes ago," one of the scouts answered as he gestured to right of him.

Harry nodded and started towards the building. He had never been told that he was not welcome there and saw no reason to avoid going to any meetings that the others held.

Harry slipped in quietly through the large doors a moment later before surveying the scene. Most of the adult members had gathered and were standing attentively throughout the room.

Fenrir was standing calmly before the group of werewolves.

"It has come to my attention that there are invaders within our woods," Fenrir paused as the group gasped.

"I have seen that they are clans from the east, along with several wizards."

"What shall we do Lord?" someone asked near the front.

"We will rip out their throats!" a man near Harry answered savagely. Harry shuddered, he had seen some of the beasts that the hunting party had brought back and had no doubt that these people could rip out their enemy's throats.

Fenrir raised a calming hand. "We will protect our borders, as is our right. I will give you more instruction as we progress, but know this: I will not rest until everyone of these invaders lays dead upon the ground."

Fenrir's words seemed to reassure the group. "That is all that is known for now. Myself and the other family leaders will formulate a plan shortly. If you wish to participate in the upcoming battle, notify me as soon as possible. Go now and inform any others of this. Remember, all members are to stay within the clearing from now on, until the threat has passed." The group all nodded their assent.

Harry followed the rest of the crowd out towards the door while looking for one of his new friends. However, he was stopped when he heard his name being called.

"Harry, come up here, if you would," Venren had called out in a clear tone that easily cut through the noise of scuffling feet made by everyone else.

How Fenrir had spotted Harry in the crowd, Harry didn't know but he followed obediently nevertheless.

Harry easily cut through the crowd and walked forward curiously.

Fenrir smiled upon seeing Harry and placed a welcoming and protective hand over his head. Harry smiled back tentatively, he was still surprised at the kindness all of the people here bestowed upon him.

"I'm glad you are back, Harry. I was just going to find you myself. I only wanted to impress upon you the importance of you staying within the clearing. Do not wander off, even if accompanied by another."

"I understand. But who are these invaders? Have they bothered you before?" Harry asked.

Fenrir thought a moment for how best to answer Harry's questions.

"They are…people like us, but a different clan than ours. And no, we have not fought one another in many years."

"Then why are they invading now?" Harry asked.

Fenrir continued to gaze levelly down at Harry.

"I could hazard a guess. But you need not concern yourself with that."

"But-" Harry started.

"Don't worry about it, go on now. I have to speak with the other family heads. Besides, I'm sure Merri, John, and Karl want to talk to you."

Harry nodded, feeling a bit disgruntled but obeyed.

Outside was a flurry of activity. All of the adults were gathering supplies and moving around the middle of the clearing which was surrounded by scouts. Harry had never seen so many of the scouts together at once, since they usually worked in shifts around the clock.

Trying to ignore the feeling of dread that had started form in the pit of his stomach, Harry moved forward into the center of the clearing.

"Harry!" John shouted as he tugged Merri and Karl after him. Harry ran towards them as well, pushing through the crowd.

"Were you at the meeting?" Karl asked, a little out of breath.

"Yes, where were you?" Harry asked curiously.

"Oh we were just walking about the forest like usual, just about to come bother you actually," Karl grinned. "And then Merri's sire came and practically dragged us back here. Told us to not leave the clearing."

"Apparently our territory has been invaded?" Merri asked much more calmly.

"Yes, by different clans from the east. That was what Venren said anyway," Harry answered. "You ever heard of them?" Harry asked.

All three shrugged their shoulders.

"I guess we've always had this vague idea that there were other clans. But none of them have invaded our territory before, not that I know of," John answered.

"Yea, they must be really stupid to try invade us. Our lord is really a really well known powerful were-ouch!"

Karl clutched his foot which Merri had just discreetly stepped on.

"Sorry, leg cramp," Karl answered belatedly at Harry's curious expression.

"What he means to say is that our lord is very powerful and it would be foolish for anyone to bother with him," Merri continued.

"Why do you think they're coming here then?" Harry asked, voicing his earlier question.

"Beats me," John answered while Karl shrugged. Harry looked towards Merri who remained silent. Harry thought Merri looked like she had some idea but wasn't saying it. Letting the matter drop once more he continued.

"So what should we do now, anything we can do to help?" Harry asked while looking around at the busy clearing once again.

"No, they're enough adults to gather supplies and things like that. We're basically expected to stay out of the way and do as we are told," John answered.

"Which is hard enough to do as it is," Karl answered cheekily.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well lets get out of the way then, I suppose," Harry continued.

They each began heading towards the sleeping den, the only structure which looked the least bit quiet and empty.

Harry sighed happily at the relative silence of the sleeping den. It didn't last for long though. Just as Merri, Karl, John, and Harry were getting used to the quiet, four flustered looking adults rushed into the room, herding a group of younger children.

"Oh thank goodness you're here," one of the mothers said. "We just found them running around like usual, and you know how they don't like coming indoors before dinner. So could you four just keep an eye on them?"

The adults didn't wait for any of them to answer. "Thank you!" One of them shouted back as they hurried out of the building, clearly relieved.

This process happened a couple more times before Harry voiced his suspicions.

"I think we've been relegated to being babysitters."

"No, not really. Just as long as we keep them in here it's fine. You don't really have to watch them that closely," Karl replied lazy from his reclining position on top of several fur throws.

Harry sighed. "That's easy enough for you to say, you're not being used as a human jungle gym!" Harry shouted as one of the surprisingly strong toddlers climbed upon his shoulders.

"Oh, be happy that they like you," Merri interceded.

By the time the afternoon was over Harry and the others were in charge of about 13 children between the ages of 3 to 11. And they were getting more rowdy by the minute. Suffice to say that Harry was extremely grateful when the rest of the adults came back into the sleeping den and led everyone out into the clearing once more.

Surprisingly though, they were not led to the dining hall for dinner as Harry had expected, but to the storage structure.

The large previously crowded room was now completely empty. Harry looked around, wondering where all the blankets, extra dried meats, and weapons could have gone.

Harry watched curiously as Venren separated himself from the crowd and bent down to the now bare wooden floors.

Fenrir reached down, his hands almost seeming to go through the wooden floor. He gripped something below the floor and pulled up. Fenrir strained for a moment, as if lifting a heavy weight. Everyone stepped back as a square sized hole appeared. Harry could have sworn that somehow magic was involved, but once again no wands were used. Fenrir gestured the rest of his pack down the steps leading below.

Harry followed the rest of the group willingly, still feeling a bit of trepidation. Once Harry reached the base of the stairwell he looked up to see a large cavern surrounding him. Small fires were scattered throughout the room, making the cavern seem bright even if it was underground.

As Harry looked closer he saw the supplies that had recently been in the room above.

"Are we staying in here?" Harry asked Merri a bit worriedly.

"I suppose so," Merri answered, still contemplating the room. "I knew this underground area was here, but we've never used it before."

Once again Fenrir stepped forward to address the group.

"It has come to my attention that the majority of you have decided to aid in the conflict against the intruders. In order to insure that our young ones are protected while we are away, the underground cavern will be used. We will be leaving to meet our enemies in half an hour, be sure to have everything in order by then."

Suddenly the crowd dispersed and Merri, John, and Karl were being pulled away by their families. Harry looked around, feeling confused for a moment before he felt himself being pulled away from the middle of the crowd by a strong hand. It was Venren once more.

"All of the adults have volunteered for the battle. That leaves you, Merri, John, and Karl to stay here with the children and stay safe." Harry was about to say something when Fenrir reached into his clothing to pull out a wooden stick.

Harry smiled immediately as he recognized his wand.

Fenrir handed the wand to Harry and Harry took it gratefully. A thousand ideas of what he could do with his wand once more leapt through his mind. He could go back to Hogwarts, start a new year, continue with his life-

"I am giving you this to defend yourself," Fenrir's strong voice interrupted Harry's thoughts. Reality came rushing back in. He was stuck here, and even worse, these people he had come to love were in danger. On the edge of war. Suddenly Harry felt guilty for wanting to leave.

He wanted to help. He had been able to do nothing as Peter escaped, as Cedric was murdered, as Voldemort was reborn. But he could do something now.

"I could help too," Harry suddenly said, startling Fenrir with his conviction.

"No Harry-"

"No, you said that wizards were there too. You aren't wizards, you don't know what they can do, I can help with that," Harry protested

"I assure you Harry, that we can hold our own against wizards," Fenrir responded surely.

"How can you be sure though, you said that you haven't had any enemies come here in many years." Suddenly something occurred to Harry.  
"I assure you-"

"It's not just a coincidence, is it?" Harry asked, things falling into place so rapidly. "Enemies show up, unexpectedly, two weeks after my arrival here? Enemies, some of whom are wizards. It's not a coincidence is it?"

"Harry-"

"Is It!" Harry asked again angrily.

"Not everything is about you Harry," Fenrir answered exasperatedly.

"No, Nothing is about _me,"_ Harry answered. "No, it's about my abilities or my scar, it's about a grudge that an evil wizard has. But I refuse to stand idly by as these things lead to the death of my friends. No, not anymore. So tell me, is it a coincidence?" Harry asked one last time, his voice barely above a whisper.

"No, it's not a coincidence, these enemies have come here for you, I am sure," Fenrir answered, unable, unwilling to lie to his mate at such a time.

Harry sighed.

"Let me help then," Harry asked.

"No," Fenrir answered.

"Take me back to my school then. I don't want you to be involved in this."

"No, they have already proven that they can not protect you well enough. Besides, your place is not with them. It is here, with us. We will protect, I will protect you," Fenrir replied soothingly.

"What if I don't want that? What if I don't want to be the reason behind another sacrifice. Let me go, if not for my wishes, then do it for your own safety, for the safety of your family!" Harry shouted.

"You are my family, Harry," Fenrir answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Fine! If you aren't going to do the right thing, then I will," Harry stepped back suddenly. He would not have anyone else sacrifice their life for him, especially not his new found friends who didn't know what they were getting themselves into.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted, pointing his newly acquired wand directly as Fenrir. The bolt of red light hit dead on, but the magic slowly fizzled as it made contact with Fenrir's skin. Harry's jaw dropped.

"You shouldn't have done that, Harry," Fenrir chastised. And although his tone was light and his eyes understanding, Harry couldn't help but feel suddenly terrified.

Fenrir turned around and barked out several orders in that language that Harry could not understand. Suddenly John and Karl were on either side of Harry. Taking his arms and restraining him.

Fenrir turned back to the group of adults behind him. "Gather in the clearing above, we will set out shortly."

Harry looked on as they turned to obey Fenrir.

"Wait! Don't go!" Harry shouted, straining against John and Karl's hold even though in the back of his mind he would never get free. Like the rest of the clan, John and Karl were surprisingly strong.

The crowd of adults stopped for a moment and looked back at Harry, clearly confused.

"You don't have to go. Just let me go, I'm the one that your enemies are after. Just let me go and you'll be safe!"

Fenrir turned back to Harry and stroked his cheek lovingly. "You are their family as well Harry. Do you think that they don't want to protect you any less than their own children? This is our duty little one, try not to fret. We will be back soon."

Harry glared at Fenrir as he felt tears of desperation and anger cloud his vision. Didn't Venren understand that he couldn't live with anyone else's death on his hands. He couldn't handle being left behind by one more loved one.

"I hate you!" Harry spat, even though he felt nothing near that emotion. Only anger that Venren would leave him and purposefully ignore his feelings. At the hurt that crossed Fenrir's face, Harry immediately felt guilty.

"I know you don't mean that, Harry. But I have to do this, it is my responsibility to protect my own. You are mine Harry and I will protect you." With that Fenrir turned swiftly.

"The Clearing now!" He shouted as everyone hurried up the stairs. The heavy door at the top of the stairs closed. Shutting Fenrir and the other adults off from sight. Harry continued to struggle forward.

"Let me Go!" Harry shouted and surprisingly John and Karl let him go. Harry ran as fast as he could up the stairs and to the door, only to find it locked. Harry then immediately raised his wand. Alohomora didn't work, neither did the many other unlocking charms that Harry had learned since first year. The blasting curse didn't leave a mark against the door, or even a flaming curse. Out of ideas Harry threw his useless wand down and began just pounding on the door, heedless of his own fists.  
"Venren! Come back!" Harry shouted, suddenly feeling very lost. And then Merri was there, taking his bloody palms into her hands and leading him away from the door.

"Come now Harry, he will be alright," Merri soothed.

"But what if he's not? It will all be my fault," Harry sobbed. But then he was sitting on his fur blankets, being held by Merri, and the other children, even John and Karl were there. And Harry knew no more.

Any Reviews are Welcome, thanks!


	8. The Battle

-1Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: Once again, your reviews have been very much appreciated!

Warning: This chapter is basically one drawn out battle scene. I personally don't think it is too bad but that's me. You may find it too violent, I don't know. But you have been warned either way: Read at your own Discretion!

………………………………...

"They've gathered down there until morning," Remus informed quietly to the group that surrounded him.

Dumbledore, Tonks, and Sirius stood listening intently to the stirrings and goings on below them.

A sharp turn downwards, about 100 feet below, a large group of werewolves were gathered.

"When are they planning on attacking Frenrir's encampment?" Dumbledore asked just as quietly, even though he had full confidence in his silencing and other protective spells he had just placed upon meeting with Remus.

"If we continue on at our same place with could probably arrive there in a couple hours or so. However, our own scouts have seen Frenir moving with his own pack towards us. So our leaders have decided to simply remain here and wait for them," Remus replied.

"Your pack leaders have such confidence to meet Frenrir and his pack in a frontal attack?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"There are many werewolf packs united here together, they think they have a good chance of putting up a successful fight," Remus answered.

Sirius shook his head. "They're fools. Even if they do happen to win, they'll not be enough of them left to make their victory worth much. Find out what they're fighting over yet?" Sirius asked concernedly.

Remus shook his head. "No, only the lords of each pack knows, and the rest…well they follow orders. Must be important though, to risk this much."

The group nodded in agreement.

"Well it seems we have a wait before us gentlemen, anyone care for a spot of tea?" Dumbledore asked as he settled himself at the base of a nearby tree.

"I need to get back to the pack," Remus explained.

"Until after the battle then, Remus," Dumbledore replied.

"Yes, do keep your head about you Remus!" Sirius admonished jokingly as he grasped Remus strongly by the shoulders. Then pulling closer he spoke quietly in Remus' ear. "And for Merlin's sake don't go up against Fenrir one on one."

Remus stiffened but nodded tersely nevertheless.

"And you keep an eye out for Harry, I won't be able to once the battle starts."

"Will do," Sirius replied.

--

"Fenrir's pack will be here in a couple of hours time, my Lord," the young yet strong looking werewolf told his master subserviently.

Mernak, leader of the Bailauf clan, assessed his two top scouts carefully. Darson and Tasarn made an impressive team. They were both in prime physical condition, very powerful, and it would be a great loss if he were to send them away now. However, it was necessary.

"You say they're moving now?" Mernak asked once more.

The two werewolves nodded quickly again.

"Only their warriors, no one else?"

"Their warriors and many adults sir," Darson answered respectfully.

"But no younglings?"

"No sir," both Darson and Theo answered.

"Then we must act quickly," mernak began. "We must obtain the bearer for our own clan. Unfortunately, I can not go myself. I must stay here, both to lead our warriors and keep an eye of Voldemort as well. However, you two are free of such duties."

Darson and Tasarn nodded to show they were paying very close attention.

"I wish for you both to find the lycan bearer and bring him back to me. It will not be difficult to follow our enemy's trail to their encampment. And once you arrive there I'm sure even the two of you will be able to scent the bearer out then. Make sure that no one else sees you do so. Most especially not Voldemort or any other pack leaders. Do I make myself clear?" Mernak asked.

Both Darson and Tarsarn quickly replied, "Yes, my lord," before bowing once more.

"I am pleased then. I want him in my presence as soon as possible. Make sure the bearer does not come into any harm. And I do not want him molested any more than he probably already has been by Fenrir, understood?" Mernak asked again, he voice almost growling.

Darson and Tasarn nodded obediently.

"Go then and return as quickly as possible."

--

Sirius and Tonks were watching the werewolves down below them closely. About five minutes before a flurry of activity had taken their attention from their afternoon tea with Dumbledore.

It seemed the werewolves had begun to forms lines of defense throughout the clearing with each group branching off from their pack leader.

At the very back of the clearing two wizards stood stiffly, fully covered by their dark robes as they watched the proceedings with detachment.

"That would be You Know Who and Malofy Sr.?" Tonks asked as she nodded towards the two figures down below.

Sirius nodded as he glared hatefully down at them. "We're just lucky they are content to sit back and let others do their dirty work. I don't want to think how much worse the fight would turn out if they joined in."

Suddenly the trees on left side of clearing started to shake. Tonks and Sirius lifted their heads slightly to see better.

The thick foliage parted. Sirius immediately recognized Fenrir, whose eyes were shining with fury. Fenrir stepped farther into the clearing to allow the many werewolves behind him to crowd around. It was obvious that not all of them had been trained as fighters but all of the werewolves in Fenrir's pack looked firm and confident as they glared at their enemies.

Fenrir opened his mouth and low guttural sound emerged which made Sirius shiver even though he could not tell what was being said.

Tonks quickly cast a translation charm on herself and Sirius before looking back on the scene below.

"-I assume you all are aware that intruding into my packs' territory _uninvited_ is comparable to signing your own death certificate?" Fenrir asked sarcastically as if he really could not believe the utter stupidity of the werewolves before him.

Another pack leader responded from his place farther back in the clearing.

"Our situation is not as it always was, Fenrir. We have combined our forces-"

"And I wonder just who could have possibly convinced several of the most powerful and conflicting packs across Europe to set their differences aside to come fight me?"

Fenrir turned pointedly to the taller clothed figure that almost blended in to the shadows of the back of the clearing.

"Hello, Voldemort," Fenrir continued.

Voldemort simply nodded in return before the other pack leader continued speaking, clearly upset at having been cut off before.

"As I was saying, not everything is as it was before. We now have the strength to take what we need from selfish fools like yourself, Fenrir," the pack leader stated smugly.

Fenrir whipped his head around once more to glare at the offending pack leader.

"What you have is nothing more than some deluded newly turned pups who are too stupid to not follow blindly what you say."

The wolves around the clearing began growling at Fenrir irately

"I will give you only _one _ chance to leave here alive. Anyone who remains to rise against me will suffer greatly," Fenrir threatened as he glared at the werewolves before them.

"It is you who will suffer, Fenrir, Attack!" the offending pack leader yelled.

Sirius turned away at the loud crush of bodies slamming against one another. The roaring and growling down below was almost deafening. Sirius turned back around when Tonks began to poke sternly into his shoulder.

"What is it?" Sirius asked.

Tonks pointed discretely down into the middle of the fray.

"It's Fenrir, he's-he's," but Tonks could not find the words to finish her sentence.

Sirius looked down to see once more. Fenrir, although clearly still Fenrir, was changed. His body had remained the same but his face had elongated into a long stout with long sharp canines which glinted through the filtered sunlight of the clearing. Sirius watched as Fenrir used his new teeth to his advantage by biting the neck off his current opponent.

"He's undergone a partial transformation, Tonks, that's all," Sirius assured. "Doesn't bode well for his enemies but as long as Remus turns out all right, it'll be alright."

"A partial transformation!" Tonks exclaimed. "That's not possible-

"Sure it is, just not for the common werewolf. Only remaining natural born or pureblood werewolves are able to accomplish it," Sirius explained.

"And how would you know that?" Tonks asked.

"Remus told me," Sirius answered simply.

"And how would he know that? He's not a pureblood werewolf."

"Long story," Sirius answered in a tone that made it clear he didn't want to talk about it any longer. Tonks shrugged and turned back to Dumbledore who was still sipping his tea and looking around the forest.

"Dumbledore, I don't really think we'll find anything here. It's obvious this is just another petty fight among werewolves, even if Voldemort is here, it doesn't mean that Harry has to be."

"Oh Harry is around," Dumbledore replied calmly as he surveyed the forest once more.

"But where?" Tonks asked, clearly becoming exasperated after having sat on leaves and dirt for such a long while.

"I do not know at this time. However, I have learned throughout the years that sometimes it is better to be patient and watch," Dumbledore spoke quietly.

"But you're not even watching the battle," Tonks retorted incredulously.

Sirius chuckled. "Tonks, I'm surprised _you're_ still surprised with Dumbledore's eccentricities after all these years."

Tonks shrugged and laughed quietly. "I guess you're right, Sirius," Tonks added before turning back to watch the action below.

Several minutes later Dumbledore stood abruptly. "Now that is interesting."

"What? What is interesting?" Sirius asked as he turned towards Dumbledore.

"Two werewolves moving in the opposite direction of the conflict, wouldn't you say Sirius?"

Sirius nodded as he saw two dark shapes dart deeper into the forest.

"Tonks, please stay here and keep an eye on Voldemort. If he moves from this location, contact me immediately. Sirius and I will contact you if we find anything," Dumbledore ordered as he indicated for Sirius to follow him.

"Wait, where are you going?" Tonks asked.

"To find Harry, of course," Dumbledore answered simply before setting off in a fast pace after the two dark figures.

--

Darson and Tasarn were making good time through the woods. It was not hard to backtrack the trail left by Fenrir and his pack.

They both slowed a little as they finally made it too the heart of Fenrir's territory. The clearing was deserted and the buildings surrounding it were completely silent.

"Where do you think they are hiding?" Tarsarn asked quietly, not wanting to break the peacefulness of the woods there.

Darson sniffed the air before him for a moment. "I can not scent the bearer nearly as well as our lord can but it seems his scent is stronger in that direction," the werewolf pointed to the wooden building toward their left.

The two werewolves entered the empty building cautiously.

"I don't see anything…" Tarsarn murmured.

"No need to state the obvious," Darson responded with a sly grin. "But he's in here somewhere I'm sure."

"Alright, but where. He's clearly not in this room-"

"Of course! He's not in this room," Darson exclaimed.

"What? I don't get it," Tarsarn asked.

"Well he smells as if he were here but he's not in this room. He's not above the room or outside the room but could he be…under the room?"

Tarsarn still looked skeptical.

"No really, he could be," Darson insisted as knelt down on all fours and began hitting the floor in various spaces. He stopped at a hollow sound and knocked once more.

Tarsarn gasped as Darson's hands went through the floor a little ways. After struggling for a moment Darson sat back.

"The door is too heavy and it's locked, we'll just have to break our way through."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Tarsarn asked with a feral smile. "Action is something I understand."

Darson smiled back expectantly and the two werewolves began trying to break open the wood beneath their feet.

--

"Fenrir!" Catherine shouted over the loud sounds of fighting around them. Fenrir quickly finished off his current opponent and turned to Catherine.

"What is it?" he asked quickly.

"Someone just told me that they had seen two enemy werewolves leaving the battle,"

"When did they leave, were they deserting the battle?" Fenrir asked.

"We don't know were they went. I was only notified that about an hour ago about the two werewolves that have left."

"An hour ago!" Fenrir shouted.

"Yes, you see all the fighting was a bit distracting and I was just notified of this myself-"

"Never mind, I will deal with this delay later," Fenrir ground out as he surveyed the battle field once more.

"Catherine, the battle is almost over here for now. I trust that you can carry out our victory?"

"Yes, my lord," Catherine answered.

"I will return soon after I have made sure that the rest of the pack are unharmed."

Catherin nodded and took up Fenrir's position in the battle.

Fenrir ran as quickly as he could towards his own den. The desertion of two enemy werewolves didn't necessarily mean anything was awry but Fenrir felt anxious nonetheless.

--

Harry woke up to the sound of pounding above. John and Karl immediately stood up and ran towards the ladder that led to the locked door above. Harry went to get his wand that was still lying beneath the door as Merri ushered the rest of the children to the darkest corner of the cavern.

"Harry, get over here now!" Merri hissed concernedly.

Harry remained in his place and looked up at John and Karl as they tried to brace the door from the devastating blows that fell from above. The thick wooden door began to splinter around the edges. Without a second thought, Harry bound up the ladder.

"What are you thinking! Get down, Harry!" John reprimanded as he shuddered against the door once more.

"I have an idea," Harry quickly explained as he wedged himself between the two stronger boys.

He pointed his wand along the edges of the door and whispered as spell, causing thick purple goop to bubble forth. The foam quickly hardened as Harry sealed up the rest of the door. The thudding sounds from above became muted as John and Karl sighed in relief.

The three climbed down.

"Wow, Harry! What was that?" Karl asked.

Harry shrugged. "Just a little joke spell some friends of mine taught me. You usually do that to someone's feet. Then they are stuck to the floor somewhere for a couple of hours before it turns back to foam again."

"Um…it is a nice trick, but it isn't going to hold for much longer," Merri called out as she pointed to the stone covering above. Pieces of the purple stone were falling and cracks were appearing all along the surface.

John and Karl groaned simultaneously.

"What are we going to do now! That door is supposed to hold!" Karl shouted frustrated as he paced back and forth.

"Wait, we can just move the ladder," Harry replied as he moved towards the ladder and pulled on it experimentally. "That way they won't be able to come down, they won't be able to jump since it's too far and it's especially hard to levitate people so we'll be safe down here," Harry explained as he pulled the ladder free of its fastenings and lowered it horizontally to the ground.

"Well, that's not really going to work…" John replied as he looked worriedly up at the purple stone.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

Suddenly, the purple stone fell and came crashing down on the floor below. John and Harry quickly jumped back and watched as the dust cleared. Two figures jumped from the square opening high above and landed on silent feet before John and Harry. Harry stared in open mouthed shock as the two rose from their crouched positions unharmed. A leap from that height…was not possible.

"That's why it's not going to work, Harry, Now get back!" John shouted as he pushed Harry roughly behind him. Merri grabbed him quickly a moment later and practically dragged Harry to the back of the cavern while John and Karl stood their ground before the two large intruders.

"Oh, well look what we have here, Tarsarn," Darson said as he nodded to the two boys before them.

"A couple of runts by the looks of it, Darson" Tarsarn smirked maliciously.

"Take that back, you-!" Karl began to shout angrily before John put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"You're right, the only ones here are us runts and some young ones, none of us yet old enough to participate fully in the conflict your clans have brought against us. Now why don't you stop wasting your time here and go back to where you belong," John replied calmly but forcefully.

"Oh I don't think so," Darson spat. "Stop pretending you do not have the lycan bearer here, hand him over and we will leave."

Harry looked confusedly over at Merri. Was she this lycan bearer? Before Harry got the chance to ask though, his attention was brought back to the scene before him. It seemed the two intruders had forgone speaking to use physical violence. Harry involuntary winced as he watched the fight. Harry was not unused to violence and had seen a fair amount of duels before. However, wizards used wands and had rules of conduct. This fight was not a duel, it was an all out brawl, it was bloody. Fear began to pool in Harry's belly, not only for himself but for John and Karl. John and Karl who had done very well in the beginning of the fight were beginning to loose spectacularly.

Then Merri finally released the death grip she had maintained on Harry's wrist all the while before transferring his wrist to the little girl next to her. "Now don't let go, Maria," Merri advised. The little girl nodded fervently. "Be right back, Harry, don't go anywhere!" Merri shouted as she ran to join in the fight. "Wait up!", Harry shouted back as he tried to move forward only to be held back by the group of children. "Hey! Let me go," Harry shouted only to have more little children crowd around. Harry sighed, feeling frustrated, it was _not _right to be contained by people half his size. Harry wrenched his hand experimentally once more but the little ones were exceptionally strong. At the sound of screaming Harry looked up worriedly to watch the fighting once more. The one named Tarsarn had caught Merri by her throat and began lifting her off the floor. Merri clutched the hand around her neck desperately with her one good arm as she held her other broken arm awkwardly next to her body.

Harry was desperate to do _something_, anything to help his friends. Steeling his determination, Harry pushed forward once more with all the strength he had and surprisingly felt his arms go free. Not taking any moment for granted, Harry rushed towards the struggle and brandished his wand. Harry spoke the first curse that came to mind. This time a cutting curse that he had only previously used cut ropes and paper. Harry had expected to see painful cuts opening over Tarsarn's back but as his previous curse had failed against Fenrir, so did this curse fail against this man. Harry took a cautious step backwards as Tararn dropped Merri ruthlessly. Merri's foot twisted as she fell heavily to the floor. Harry glanced quickly over to John and Karl who were fairing a bit better now that they were two against the other one intruder.

Which left Harry to fight Merri's tormentor by himself. The hulking man twisted about and forcefully backhanded Harry across the face and sent him crashing into a nearby cavern wall. Harry's neck twisted and he felt the stone cut cruelly into his skull.

"Tarsarn, You Idiot! You're not supposed to hurt that one!" Darson yelled angrily.

Harry winced as he opened his eyes to see Tarsarn walk worriedly towards him.

"Sorry about that, little thing," Tarsarn murmured as he knelt beside Harry.

"Harry, run, get out of here!" Merri shouted as she struggled to stand as well.

Harry tried to push himself up but the sudden dizziness forced him back down. Harry gripped his wand fearfully in his sweaty palm as Tarsarn gently pushed his bloodied hair out of his face.

"Get away from me," Harry hissed angrily, he was starting to feel sick and nauseous. Tarsarn only chuckled darkly.

"Oh no darling you're coming with us," Tarsarn said as he shifted his weight and prepared to pick Harry up.

With strength born from desperation Harry decided not to cast a spell on Tarsarn which would inevitably fail, but on himself. A shielding spell that he had just recently learned. As Harry spoke the words a spherical blue shield of magic erupted around him. It was only useful against common hexes and such but especially useful against physical objects. Tarsarn was forcefully pushed away from Harry and outside of the blue orb. Tarsarn roared angrily and Harry instinctively recoiled but kept his shield up.

Harry quickly looked over to John and Karl once more, they were limping over to Merri and were badly injured as well. When Darson turned around he was proud to see that he was sporting several large bloody cuts on his face and arms. But then Darson and Tarsarn began approaching his shield and any happier thoughts Harry might have had evaporated quickly.

Harry could feel thick rivulets of blood coursing down his neck and back as the two large men approached. Tarsarn began to try to push against the shields several times but Harry was able to keep the blue shield solid.

However when Darson began pushing against the shield as well, the film of blue magic flickered. Harry tried to keep the magic flowing but was become weaker by the second. A moment later the shield flickered and went out.

Suddenly a reverberating snarl captured everyone's attention and Harry looked past Darson and Tarsarn to see Fenrir landing in the middle of the cavern before he began stalking towards Darson and Tarsarn.

It was at that moment that Harry began to feel inexplicably happy that he was not Fenrir's enemy. The look that he leveled at Darson and Tarsarn was indescribable, it did however cause the two intruders to shudder and cautiously walk backwards.

"Don't bother trying to escape," Fenrir stated while keeping a close eye on the intruders.

The two enemy werewolves did not listen. Darson darted quickly to the side to try to get the ladder while Tarsarn ran in the opposite direction of Fenrir.

Fenrir met Darson at the ladder and without any hesitation bent forwards and easily hefted Darson up into the air while gripping him mercilessly. Fenrir turned to locate Tarsarn and a moment later he hurled Darson's body forcefully across the cavern into Tarsarn's body. The two forms collided violently and Harry flinched at the resounding crunch that was heard.

Fenrir began walking towards Harry. "Is everyone alright?" he asked on the way.

"Nothing that can't be fixed," Karl answered wryly as he, Merri, and John limped over to Harry while proping each other up. The many children crowded around Harry as he sat down heavily upon the floor once more, he was becoming very tired.

"Harry has a bad cut on the back of his head," the little girl Maria informed.

Fenrir knelt down concernedly next to Harry before ripping off a piece of his cloak. Fenrir deftly wrapped the material around Harry's head like a turban to staunch the bleeding.

"Now don't go to sleep Harry, you may have a concussion. Nothing that can't be healed here I'm sure," Fenrir smiled reassuringly.

Harry nodded, feeling slightly better now that the danger had passed.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked Fenrir, just now noticing the many cuts and various wounds on Fenrir's body.

Fenrir smirked. "Just a little tired-"

Darson's body twitched in the corner.

"One moment, Harry," Fenrir muttered before turning and standing once more. He walked towards Darson and Tarsarn who apparently were not yet dead.

"Um Harry…maybe you should look away," John suggested.

"Why?" Harry asked as Fenrir drew a large ax that hung on his shoulder and brought it down several times. Harry almost retched as several large pieces of flesh flew across the cavern.

"That's why," John answered.

"That's it, from now on, I'll just take your word for it, John," Harry answered a moment later.

"If you say so, Harry," John answered before laughing.

--

There is still much more story left don't worry, I just didn't want to leave you with a cliff hanger. Anyway Thanks for reading, all reviews are welcome.


	9. Torn Apart

-1Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: I'm Sorry…this had to happen!

--

Sirius and Dumbledore had been running- well as fast as one could run through a dense forest- for about an hour already and had yet to see any signs of any other werewolves or Harry.

The two wizards trotted to a halt as the trail they were following died out completely. Dumbledore cautiously stepped forward to part another thick covering of leaves to reveal a large clearing surrounded by several wooden buildings which blended in almost completely with the surrounding forest.

"I think we have found Fenrir's encampment," Dumbledore muttered before he turned back to Sirius.

"Do you think its completely deserted?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Well I assume those two foreign werewolves are here somewhere and probably the youngest ones of Fenrir's pack, other than that, I do not know," Dumbledore answered.

Both Dumbledore and Sirius carefully edged out of their hiding place before going around and systematically searching the surrounding buildings. Everything appeared deserted.

Sirius and Dumbledore were about to give up hope before they finally came to the last building they had yet to search.

They both stopped in their tracks as they saw a large hole gaping from the middle of the floor.

Sirius rushed forward and looked below.

A moment later he jumped back up to stand beside Dumbledore once more.

"He's there! I think I saw him!" Sirius exclaimed in a quiet whisper before turning around and casting a spell.

"That's wonderful! Wait, what are you doing, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked concernedly.

The long piece of wood that zoomed toward Sirius answered Dumbledore's question before Sirius even spoke.

"I'm transfiguring this into a rope so that we can get to Harry," Sirius answered while keeping all of his attention on the rope before him.

"Sirius, now that we have found Harry we should use caution, perhaps-"

But Sirius was already attaching a piece of the rope to the top section of the wood and lowering himself down.

"Sirius, wait!" Dumbledore ordered but Sirius' head disappeared below nonetheless. Dumbledore sighed and shook his head before following Sirius a moment later.

--

As Fenrir finished dealing with Tarsarn and Darson, Harry spotted a wiggling piece of rope unfold its way into the bottom of the cavern. Harry fearfully looked up, expecting another enemy's descent only to see Sirius rapidly climbing down the rope. Harry turned towards his friends to see them watching Sirius as well, only with less good intent in their eyes.

"It's alright, this is only my godfather, Sirius," Harry reassured the group around him. John, Karl, and Merri still looked suspicious but had stopped trying to struggle to their feet.

A moment later Sirius came rushing over towards Harry. "Harry, are you alright?" Sirius asked as he eyed the makeshift turban around Harry's head worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. Venren took care of the people that did this to me. I'm so glad to see you! How are you is everything alright-" Harry responded quickly in return before being engulfed in a large hug by Sirius. Sirius chuckled, "Well I'm glad to see that you still have that determined curiosity of yours."

Harry looked down sheepishly before looking up again quickly.

"Oh Sirius, I want you to meet some of my new friends. This is-"

Sirius spoke abruptly, cutting Harry off. "Sorry Harry, you can tell me everything that happened when we get back to Hogwarts. First we have to leave before-"

"The only one leaving is you, Black," Fenrir spoke clearly, his voice hostile.

Sirius whipped his head around to see Fenrir standing several yards behind him, holding a large bloody ax in one hand.

Harry flinched at the sight. Venren had a fierce look in his eyes, and had a gaping wound in one shoulder with the rest of his body flecked with the blood of his fallen enemies. Not particularly the best situation Harry could have imagined for the meeting between his godfather and new friends. Harry decided to quickly try to quell the rising tension in the room.

"Um…Sirius, this is the person that saved me from Voldemort, very nice of him don't you think? And Venren, well this is my godfather, he's protected me loads of times as well…"

Harry stared back and forth between Venren and Sirius who were both still watching each other guardedly.

"Are you two alright?" Harry asked cautiously. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Dumbledore climbing down the rope as well. Hopefully he would be able to make Sirius and Venren calm down and stop acting so weirdly, Harry thought.

Suddenly Sirius drew his wand and stood as he picked up Harry as well.

Harry reached his arms out in surprise and automatically grasped Sirius' shoulders for balance. Fenrir stepped forward threateningly.

"Sirius what are you doing?" Harry asked incredulously. Sirius rapidly took several steps backwards as he carried Harry and kept his wand trained on Fenrir's advancing form.

"Put Harry _down,_" Fenrir ordered clearly and sternly as if speaking to a dumb animal.

"No, he's my godson and I'm taking him back to where he belongs!" Sirius retorted angrily.

"He belongs here!" Fenrir roared. The group of children along with Merri, John, and Karl watched the interchange apprehensively, reluctant to get between Fenrir and the new intruders.

By this time Dumbledore had made it down to the ground floor of the cavern and walked slowly over the empty space between Sirius and Fenrir. Dumbledore held up his hand to quiet Sirius' retort before turning to Fenrir.

"Myself and Harry's friends thank you very much for saving Harry from Voldemort. We are also particularly relieved that you have seemingly kept him in good care and have not harmed him. However, I must insist that Harry return with us despite whatever reasons you may have had for keeping him with you."

Harry grimaced from his place next to Sirius. Harry had only spent a couple of weeks with Venren but he knew that as leader of these people Venren was used to being treated with the utmost respect. And no matter how polite Dumbledore may have sounded, he was still ordering Venren to do something he obviously didn't want to. _No _one ordered Venren to do anything. If Dumbledore kept that up this was not going to end well.

Harry's suspicions were confirmed a moment later as Fenrir stepped forward menacingly. "You dare to dictate the course of events here, wizard?" Fenrir spat. "This is my home, my family and none this is any of your concern!"

Harry hurriedly pushed himself from Sirius' arms and ran between Dumbledore and Fenrir.

"Harry, Stop!" Sirius shouted belatedly but Harry ignored him in lieu of keeping his full attention upon the arising conflict.

"Everyone calm down," Harry began as he eyed Fenrir's ax and Dumbledore's wand warily. Harry turned his back to Fenrir confident that he would not be harmed by him even if Venren was extremely angry. Harry paused a moment to gather his words in order. "Headmaster, well you see I agreed to stay with these people for a month since Venren did save me from Voldemort and they are really quite nice actually. So perhaps I could just stay here for a little while longer and then go back to school. Maybe they could even come visit sometime-"

"Harry, I don't believe you are in the right frame of mind right now. You don't even know who these _beings_ are, besides you have to spend part of your summer with the Dursleys to help protect you from Voldemort-"

"I will protect him from Voldemort!" Fenrir interrupted angrily.

Dumbledore ignored Fenrir and stepped forward.

"Come now Harry, Sirius and I will take you home," Dumbledore smiled kindly down at Harry.

"What do you mean I'm not in my right mind?" Harry asked suspiciously as he took a step away from Dumbledore.

"Only that your injuries and traumatic experiences may have clouded your judgment," Dumbledore explained as he took another step forward. "Come now," he ordered once again.

"I have had no traumatic experiences here. And I feel fine," Harry argued, which wasn't necessarily true, he was feeling a bit light headed and nauseous but he wasn't going to tell Dumbledore that.

"Nonetheless, you are coming back with us now," Dumbledore added sternly.

Fenrir stepped protectively in front of Harry quickly.

"He is not going anywhere. Harry as already explained to you that he has made an agreement to stay here for a time and after that it is up to him where he goes, not you!" Fenrir roared.

"Let Harry go now, you Beast!" Sirius shouted as he stepped from behind Dumbledore and threw a nasty looking curse at Fenrir's bloody chest.

In most circumstances Fenrir would have normally dodged the malicious curse. However, as Harry was standing directly behind him, Fenrir could not do so in this situation.

The curse hit Fenrir directly in the chest.

"Sirius No!" Harry shouted angrily even though he doubted that the curse would affect Venren at all. So Harry was doubly surprised to see Venren falter as the curse hit.

However that particular curse only seemed to enrage Fenrir more. Fenrir pushed himself up again to his full height and lunged at Sirius after pushing Harry protectively behind him once more.

There was a feral look in Fenrir's eye and at that moment Harry began to fear for his godfather's life.

"Both of you stop!" Harry ordered sternly only to be ignored once more. Sirius continued to hurl curse after curse at Fenrir. Fenrir continued to be affected by them but not so much so that it hindered his attack entirely.

At moment later Fenrir had finally made it within arm's reach of Sirius and quicker than Harry could see, Fenrir's wrist flicked out and caught Sirius by the throat. Fenrir effortlessly lifted Sirius off the ground until Sirius' feet were flailing uselessly. Without a thought Harry ran over to the two grappling men and tugged ineffectively on Fenrir's firm grip.

"Please, put him down, Venren!" Harry hollered, staring worriedly at the slowly purpling face of his godfather. But Fenrir didn't look away from his prey, his grip slowly tightened.

Harry had moved beyond fear and began to feel petrified that his godfather would be murdered before his very eyes.

"Please Venren! I know it was wrong of him to curse you but please don't kill my godfather, please!" Harry begged distressingly.

After an agonizing moment Fenrir shook his head and his eyes cleared. Fenrir looked down at Harry's worried face before dropping Sirius roughly to the ground.

Sirius started coughing harshly as he massaged his bruised neck. Harry knelt down beside Sirius as he smiled thankfully up at Fenrir.

"You're lucky I care for what your godson desires you scoundrel, otherwise you would have been truly dead by now," Fenrir growlingly stated.

At that moment Dumbledore found the opening he had been waiting for. Now Dumbledore had a clear shot at Fenrir since Sirius and Harry were kneeling upon the ground. Taking not a moment longer, Dumbledore summoned a powerful spell, stronger than that what Sirius had previously used against the dangerous werewolf.

The shimmering bolt of magic flew towards Fenrir's bleeding and unprotected back. It struck with a dull thud.

Harry looked up confusedly at the sound only to see Fenrir's body slowly crumple in upon itself as it fell upon the floor.

"Venren!" Harry shouted and ran to try to cushion Fenrir's fall. Harry carefully lowered the upper half of Fenrir's body upon the ground, shocked to see the vibrant and determined leader so vulnerable.

Harry lowered his head worriedly to Fenrir's chest to try to hear a heartbeat, heedless of the blood that stained his clothes and cheek. The sound was faint but still noticeable, although it did little to calm Harry's fears. His heart had sped up and he was beginning to feel feverish.

Harry restless moved his hands about Fenrir's face. "Venren, wake up. A curse never hurt you before. Get up!" Harry suddenly sobbed, unable to stop the terrified feeling that gripped his heart. Harry looked absently at his friends who sat forgotten by the corner of the cavern, seemingly in shock. A wave of guilt washed over Harry. He should never have stayed in this place, his presence only caused trouble. He felt nauseous.

Dumbledore silently walked forward, towards Harry.

"Come Harry, we must leave as soon as possible-"

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Harry stated vehemently without looking away from Fenrir.

"Harry, please-" Sirius began, somewhat recovered from his previous encounter with Fenrir.

"And you!" Harry turned to Sirius. "He let you go-after you Cursed him! And then you just curse him right back?" Harry looked disgustedly at Dumbledore for a moment before turning back to Fenrir. It felt better to simply focus on Venren's face, everywhere else that Harry looked only seemed to spin.

"Harry, stop this foolishness," Dumbledore ordered, his cajoling tone no longer present.

"No-" Harry protested once again before Dumbledore cut him off.

"Fine, we will do this without your cooperation," Dumbledore said as he bent down and tried to forcefully push Harry away from Fenrir.

"Let me go!" Harry shouted as he reached out to grasp Fenrir's limp hand within his own and began to try to fight off Dumbledore with his other. Harry suddenly felt very tired, he couldn't breath. Merri, John, and Karl along with the rest of the children started rushing to Harry's side. But with their injuries Merri, John, and Karl were not fast enough. Fenrir's hand slipped from Harry's grasp after particularly hard tug from Dumbledore.

"No, Let me go you…" Harry trailed off, there was no more breath left for words.

"Sirius, the portkey, Now!" Dumbledore shouted. Sirius ran towards Dumbledore who was now holding a motionless Harry. After fumbling in his robes a moment Sirius grabbed Dumbledore along with Harry and activated their portkey back to Hogwarts.

--

Once Dumbledore made sure that Harry was safely in Madam Pomfrey's care, he turned his attention to Sirius.

"That was a very stupid thing to do. You were lucky that Fenrir had already fought many battles beforehand and was weakened. Otherwise our meager protection against him would have failed. You're actions put me into a position that may not have occurred otherwise," Dumbledore admonished.

"We got Harry back though," Sirius argued. "Madam Pomfey says he'll be recovered soon enough. We would have had to fight Fenrir anyways eventually, he didn't seemed particularly eager to let Harry go, who knows why."

"Be that as it may, next time, I expect better restraint from you."

A moment later Tonks walked through the hospital wing door. Sirius and Dumbledore looked expectantly towards her.

"The battle has ended and Fenrir's pack was victorious. Although I don't remember seeing him at the end of the battle…"

"We know where he got to," Sirius assured. "Is Remus alright, what else happened?"

"Yes, Remus is alright, he said he would be along soon. What else…oh Voldemort and Malfoy senior left the clearing after it was obvious that their allied werewolves were loosing. I followed them as long as I could but I didn't see any sign of….Harry!"

Tonks exclaimed as she spied Harry sleeping upon the bed behind Dumbledore and Sirius. "You've found Harry?" Tonks exclaimed happily. "That is really very good news. But why is he in the hospital wing?"

"He had some previous injuries which were aggravated when we took him from Fenrir," Dumbledore answered.

"Fenrir? Is he…?" Tonks trailed off.

"No, he's not been infected, Tonks. Pomfrey checked that first," Sirius answered.

"Oh, I wonder why Fenrir kept him for that long then. I wonder why he took him at all?" Tonks asked.

"We do not know either as of yet. I will question Harry when he awakes," Dumbledore reassured.

It was then that the hospital wing door opened once again, this time revealing a very tired looking Remus. He had several deep wounds on his arms and back. Madam Pomfrey rushed out once again and welcomed her newest patient before guiding Remus to another bed next to Harry.

Sirius quickly sat beside his long time friend.

"I'm glad you're alright," Sirius grinned.

Remus nodded and grasped Sirius' shoulder friendlily.

"And I'm glad to see that Harry has returned to us. Where did you find him and why is his head wrapped in gauze?" Remus asked.

Madam Pomfrey came over and began to rub healing paste into Remus' wounds as he regarded Sirius curiously.

"Oh well don't worry, Harry will be fine. He just had a previous injury, after he heals up a bit he'll be fine."

Remus smirked. "Well I'm glad to know that he'll be _fine_. That still doesn't answer where you found him though," Remus joked. Madam Pomfrey finished tending Remus' wounds and bustled away to get more supplies.

Sirius didn't say anything for a moment. "Harry wasn't with Voldemort," Sirius began.

Remus sighed in relief. "Well that's a blessing."

"Um…not really," Sirius noted.

"Why not? Who was he with? Someone worse? Who was it?" Remus asked angrily.

"Well you see, Remus, well one of Voldemort's allies took Harry with him and has been keeping Harry with his pack all this time."

"Pack? No…you can't mean…"Remus trailed off, his eyes wide.

"Yes it was Fenrir. But Harry is fine, he's not turned!" Sirius added quickly.

However, Remus paid little attention to that. He moved off of his bed and stepped quickly next to Harry. He ran his hands protectively over Harry's face as if to make sure that he was really there.

But Harry looked healthy, healthier than usual actually, save for the white gauze that decorated his head.

"See, he's alright," Sirius reassured.

Remus nodded and sat back down.

"Do you think Fenrir took him because he knows what Harry means to me? As some form of cruel punishment?" Remus asked.

Sirius shook his head. "No, he seemed to treat Harry adequately and didn't make any mention of his actions as being a means to get back at you. Besides you didn't tell him you were friends with James did you?" Sirius asked.

"No, I only told him about Hogwarts in general and yourself," Remus answered before continuing. "Why did Fenrir take Harry then?" Remus asked.

Sirius shrugged. "We don't know, we'll find out soon enough once we can question Harry about what happened though," Sirus answered.

Remus nodded and reached out to take Harry's hand to grasp it firmly.

"Well at least Harry is alri-" Remus stopped speaking, his body gone rigid.

"Remus? What is it?" Sirius asked concernedly.

Remus Lupin took a deep breath as he turned Harry's wrist towards Sirius. "Have you seen this before?" Remus asked tightly.

Sirius shook his head. "No, I haven't. It isn't poisonous or something, is it?" Sirius asked referring to the circle of blue dots on Harry's arm.

"No, it's not poisonous. But I think I may know why Fenrir kept Harry with him for these past weeks," Remus answered gravely.

--

A/N: A lot of revelations will be coming up next entry! Sorry to all of you that didn't want Harry to go back to Hogwarts but this is what I had planned and its necessary to the plot. Once again Thank You to all of you that have reviewed, it really keeps me going. And thanks for reading!!


	10. Insane Explanations

-1Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews, the questions some of you were asked were really good and hopefully will be answered in this chapter.

**Warning**: As I'm sure you've noticed this is slash. This chapter has mentions of mpreg, so if that bothers you, **don't read!**

--

""No, it's not poisonous. But I think I may know why Fenrir kept Harry with him for these past weeks," Remus answered gravely.

"What? Why?" Sirius asked concernedly.

"I'm quite curious to know why as well," Dumbledore added. Remus sighed deeply before explaining.

"Well, you see this here, this circle of blue dots? Well it's not a tattoo as you might think. It's actually a bite mark. It identifies Harry as part of Fenrir's pack, … his mate more specifically."

Sirius gasped. "But he's not a werewolf is he?"

"Now? No, not technically anyways," Remus muttered.

"Why would Fenrir choose a human mate and why?" Sirius asked.

"Well if I'm right then Harry isn't really a human either," Remus answered.

"I don't understand. Either one is a werewolf or one is not. He can not be both," Dumbledore responded, clearly frustrated.

Remus shook his head resignedly. "Harry's is not both, he's…It's complicated. You see..."

--

Harry woke up with a dull throbbing in the back of his head. He opened his eyes gingerly only to see three faces peering down at him surrounded by white. The hospital wing, of course, Harry would know that ceiling anywhere.

Someone placed a pair of glasses upon him and Harry could see more clearly.

"Hello, my boy, are you feeling well?" Dumbledore asked. Harry suddenly felt a rush of anger without quite understanding why until the memories of the past day rushed into his mind.

Harry suddenly jumped off the bed and shoved his way past Dumbledore before being pushed back onto his bed by a worried looking Sirius.

"Calm down, Harry. You're safe now," Sirius comforted.

Harry continued to struggle in his godfather's grasp.

"Let me go! What have you done? Where is Venren?" Harry shouted angrily.

Sirius sat down heavily next to Harry, still gripping his arms firmly.

"Harry, listen to me. You know that all we want is the best for you. Everything we've ever done was meant for that end-"

"Then let me go. I need to go help my friends!"

"No!" Dumbledore stated firmly. The old wizard sat on the bed opposite and looked directly at Harry before speaking more calmly.

"These people who you claim to have saved are not who they fooled you to be. The one you called, Venren, was it? Yes, well his real name is Fenrir Greyback. I assume you've heard of him?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry looked fleetingly at Remus who was standing gravely in the corner of the room.

"Fenrir and the rest of your 'friends' are a werewolf pack working for their own best interests. They only want to turn you into one of them, and make you a werewolf for their own purposes-" Dumbledore explained further.

"What are you talking about!" Harry shouted.

"The 'people' that you stayed with were werewolves," Dumbledore repeated more slowly

Harry shook his head. "What? You're…making this up, I don't believe you," Harry added as he wrenched his arm from Sirius' grasp. It stung his skin but Harry didn't notice as he ran to the door.

Dumbledore stood to spell the door closed but was stopped by the firm hand of Remus. Harry sprinted out of the door and down the hall.

"Perhaps you should leave him be for now. It's better if we're alone when I speak to him anyway," Remus advised.

Dumbledore nodded. "Just make sure he doesn't leave Hogwarts."

Remus nodded and left quickly after Harry.

--

Remus found Harry pacing before the tall doors of Hogwarts.

"Let me out now-" Harry shouted as he pointed to the large doors that staunchly remained closed.

"Harry, listen to me-"

"Why? Neither Sirius or Dumbledore listened to me. They just came and hurt my friends without even bothering to hear what I had to say."

Remus leaned against one of the walls of the entrance hall, trying to decide how best to proceed.

"Harry, I know this is a difficult time for you but try to remember that for all Sirius' and Dumbledore's faults, they care about you very much. They had reason to do what they did," Remus explained.

"And what reason was that? That those people that saved me were all evil werewolves?" Harry scoffed. "Come on, you especially must know what a lie that was."

Remus looked intently into Harry's eyes. "They didn't lie, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "You're wrong, they did lie. They had to have lied," Harry repeated once more.

"What makes you so sure that those people were not werewolves and their leader not Fenrir Greyback?" Remus asked, truly interested.

Harry resumed pacing. "You want to know why I don't believe you? Fine then, I'll tell you. Everyone always describes werewolves as wild creatures or… if they try to fight their instincts they end up sick half the time like you did last year. My friends were not like that. They were a bit…rowdy, I admit, but nothing like what was described of wild werewolves. And the leader you keep calling Fenrir, he was the one that saved me in the first place! He was never anything but kind to me. And wasn't Fenrir the cruel, vicious werewolf that turned you? They can't be the same person. It just doesn't make sense," Harry concluded, shaking his head.

Remus regarded Harry appraisingly, for his argument did make sense from his point of view, even though it was wrong nonetheless.

"You are right, Fenrir was the one that turned me and he has done many terrible things since then. Including kidnapping you, I might add. But I swear my life to you, Harry, Fenrir and your _Venren_ are one in the same," Remus muttered, glaring slightly at the ground.

Harry was surprised at how much venom Remus could inject into Venren's name but didn't comment. After a moment of indecision Harry went to lean next to the wall beside Remus.

"Fine, let's say you are right, and they are the same person. How do you explain that I am still alive and unharmed, not a mark on me?" Harry asked.

Remus looked pointedly at Harry's wrist. Harry looked down to see the circle of blue dots decorating his wrist before rubbing it unconsciously. Harry had actually become quite fond of the mark. It never burned or hurt him. It made him feel like he belonged somewhere. It glinted in the moonlight…

Harry's eyes shot up to Remus' before he could complete the thought. "This? It's nothing. It just shows I was part of Venren's family," Harry replied, trying not to notice how stupid his answer sounded now that he was back at Hogwarts.

"Did anyone else have one similar to that?" Remus asked casually.

Harry thought for a moment. He had never really noticed one similar on anyone else. Though, truth be told he had completely forgotten about it shortly after he arrived. It just didn't seem important then, only natural.

Harry shrugged before Remus asked another question.

"What was your place in this new family of yours?" Remus asked pointedly.

Harry shrugged again.

"How were you treated?"

"Fine, they treated me well," Harry answered quickly, happy to have an answer to that one.

"Any worse or better than anyone else?"

Harry shrugged once more, too uncomfortable to relate the times when Venren had brought him special fruit from the forest or gave him the best blankets and fur cloaks to wear.

Remus eyed Harry suspiciously nonetheless.

"What!" Harry asked a little too loudly, betraying his sudden unexpected nervousness.

"You're just so trusting," Remus reprimanded.

"It's not like I had much choice in the matter then!" Harry argued.

"It doesn't matter, you can't believe everyone just because they take you in!"

"They were kind to me-"

"They're not your friends, Harry!"

"Well, they're better than the ones I have here!" Harry shouted.

Remus turned away and looked towards the floor once more. Harry immediately felt guilty.

"Remus, I'm sorry," Harry apologized.

Remus shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I don't understand what you went through being alone out there, you had to do what you could, it's not your fault. However, I do need to explain several things to you, Harry. Things that you may not understand nor like. But all I ask is that you at least listen and know that what I tell you is the truth, or as much truth as I myself have been able to gather over the years."

Harry watched Remus' face worriedly before nodding slowly. "If it means that much to you Remus, then yes I'll listen to you. But I must say, no matter how much you explain, it's still hard to believe-"

"I know, Harry, just listen for now."

--

Remus silently led Harry to a deserted classroom before conjuring two comfortable chairs. Harry sat down and watched Remus expectantly as he did the same.

Remus gathered his thoughts for a moment before speaking.

"I suppose I should start at the beginning, I think that will be best."

Harry nodded understandingly and urged Remus to continue.

"As you know, I was turned into werewolf by Fenrir Greyback. However, it was not the random attack of a wild werewolf as most believe. I knew Fenrir long before he turned me."

Harry was surprised to learn that but didn't interrupt.

"You see, my accidental magic as a child scared my muggle father away when I was very young. My mother, who was also a muggle, was not particularly understanding either. But at least she always kept me fed and clothed. Soon afterwards, when I was about seven, my mother and I moved to a small cottage in the woods that had been her grandfather's. She tended her garden constantly and sold the products to a nearby grocer. Needless to say I was ignored most of the time. School was not any better," Remus laughed self deprecatingly. "Was it any surprise that a lonely little boy spent most of his time in the forest then?"

Harry shook his head. He understood Remus all too well. If only the Dursleys had a forest nearby, Harry had no doubt that he would have spent most of his time there.

"Anyway, later that year, I met Fenrir in the forest one day. He was a few years older than I was but treated me very kindly. He taught me all there was to know about that forest. What I could eat, how to make good throwing spears out of fallen tree limbs, and many other things. He could even do magic. It was different than mine of course, he could control his better and had more practical uses for his power but I was thrilled nonetheless to find someone a bit like myself. He became my best-and only-friend for several years," Remus shook his head sadly.

"What happened then?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

"I received my Hogwarts letter," Remus answered simply.

Harry looked a bit perplexed and wondered why that would change anything when Remus continued.

"Fenrir became enraged when I told him I was going away to a wizarding school. Now let me tell you something Harry, something that is not written in your defense books. It is very hard for a werewolf to be simply acquaintances with someone. A werewolf will either think of you as part of his pack and protect you to the death, an enemy and kill you on sight, or a means to an end and use you for their purpose.

I did not understand this then. I had thought that Fenrir would be happy for me. Happy that I could go learn with others like myself. But no, Fenrir saw it as a betrayal, that I was abandoning him. He had said that I was going away to learn to be, 'an evil wizard like his father had told him about.'

When I came back from school the next year, Fenrir was not the friend that I had remembered. He was angry and sullen most of the time."

Remus shook his head sadly. "One night…Fenrir came to apologize and asked me to come explore the forest with him as we used to do. Of course I agreed, I trusted him. Now, I don't know if Fenrir had planned it…or if turning me was a spur of the moment decision. But either way, my old friend suddenly changed. I always knew that Fenrir and his family were different but it wasn't until that moment that I truly understood. I became a werewolf that day. I had underestimated Fenrir and his desire to keep me with him."

Harry held his breath as Remus continued on, his words almost running together.

"I-I was never meant to be a werewolf, Harry. I escaped as soon as I could, luckily I found Sirius. He contacted Dumbledore for me. I told the headmaster everything I could remember about those woods. Where Fenrir's home was, their defenses, everything. Soon after a ministry contingent of aurors raided Fenrir's home. Many in his pack were killed, including his parents. I believe that that event was the beginning of many that set Fenrir upon the path to becoming the evil, cruel werewolf that most people see him as today."

Remus sat back in his chair and sighed deeply. "And now we come to the part that explains your situation, Harry," Remus eyed Harry pointedly.

Harry stiffened unconsciously. "I have no part in this particular story. Even if Venren is Fenrir, I am no werewolf. I'm me, just Harry."

Remus smiled knowingly. "You have never been and will never be, 'just Harry', no matter how much you may wish for it. But that is besides the point and I have much more to tell you," Remus sat forward and clasped his hands together. "Did you know, Harry, that there are two different types of werewolves?"

Harry shook his head.

"Well, not many do. Regardless, there are two types, those born as a werewolf, and those changed into one. Now, in the beginning there were only natural born werewolves. They were a different species entirely, like Centaurs or Merfolk. Over the years, they became a very powerful and influential society. They became so powerful that the Wizarding world felt threatened. A war began between the two. It was a long and bloody conflict. During that time Wizards created many dark spells to repel the werewolves, most of which are illegal today. Despite their spells, the wizards were close to loosing the war, and nearly did."

"What happened, why didn't they loose?" Harry asked curiously.

"The wizards began a new tactic. They began targeting the werewolf cubs. You see, werewolves do not have children often, their mating habits are very particular. So for every werewolf cub that the wizards killed, the werewolf population was severely affected. After a time, the older werewolves began to die off and there was no one left to carry on the fight. The wizards won by their sheer numbers. The remaining werewolves retreated and almost became extinct. The wizards actually thought that they had become extinct, until the attacks began."

"Attacks?" Harry asked.

"Yes, the werewolves began attacking human children because they discovered that if they bit a human while they were in their werewolf form, that human would begin to exhibit werewolf traits and behavior. Of course, these infected werewolves could not have children of their own and could only continue by biting another human child. But even though these human changelings were weaker and did not have the same abilities that a pureblood werewolf had, the werewolves thought it better that their culture survive in this lesser form than to die out completely. Pureblood werewolves still do exist today though, Fenrir is one. There are several throughout other packs around the world, and those like yourself of course."

Harry's head snapped up. "What do you mean, 'those like yourself'?"

"It's the only way I can explain the fact that Fenrir marked you," Remus replied.

"What? What do you mean, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything. That mark on your arm, it is no ordinary thing. It is a mark shared between two pureblood werewolves-"

"For the last time, I am not a werewolf," Harry interrupted.

"No, not yet. But I suspect one of your ancestors was. I have heard stories during my time in werewolf packs. Fantastical tales of a human and werewolf offspring. In most cases, the child of such a liaison would not survive. However, if-on the offhand chance- the child did live, it would be born as a human and live as a human. And if this child grew to have children of their own, those children would be human as well. But-" Remus held up his hand, "and this is the fantastical part, I have heard that in some cases the dormant werewolf heritage will present itself later on in the line. And if this child were bitten by a pureblood werewolf, they themselves would become a pureblood werewolf. Now these are only rumors, but I believe them to be proved true in your case."

Harry stared at Remus, speechless for a moment before speaking. "You're making this up, you have to be."  
"I swear to you, this is what I truly believe," Remus replied sincerely.

Harry stood up suddenly. "How would Fenrir even know any of this, even if I did have this 'dormant werewolf heritage' or whatever you called it," Harry asked flippantly.

"To put it simply, he smelled you, werewolves have a very strong sense of smell and identify many things by scent."

"Why haven't you told me this before then?" Harry asked a bit angrily.

"Even though I am a werewolf, I never suspected your werewolf heritage before because I naturally do not have abilities to the extent that a pureblood werewolf would have. Also, I have taken the wolf's bane potions many times, which has permanently dampened many of the werewolf abilities I might have had."

Harry watched Remus closely for a moment as if trying to decide whether the form before him was real or not before turning and pacing around the classroom.

"This still doesn't explain anything you know. So what if I have the potential to be a true werewolf? It's not like I could help anything, I'm more a burden-"

"You're not a burden, Harry. The addition of a pureblood werewolf would be celebrated in any pack. But it is my belief that Fenrir had a more specific role in mind for you."

Harry stopped in his tracks. "Please don't tell me he expects me to defeat Voldemort too," Harry asked exasperatedly.

Remus laughed. "Oh no, Fenrir probably wants you to stay as far away from him as possible."

Harry looked confused for a moment before asking his next question. "What role then?"

Remus' eyes flickered to Harry's wrist once more. "That mark there, is shared between two pureblood werewolves in a mating relationship. Were you a werewolf now and if you had accepted Fenrir's offer, you would create an identical mark on Fenrir as well."

Harry frowned as if he were trying to understand a foreign language. A moment later Harry laughed mockingly.

"You've got to be kidding. There are lots of other people he would choose before me."

"There is no reason why someone like Fenrir wouldn't choose you, Harry. You are healthy, mentally sound, and have the potential to be a pureblood werewolf-"

"Are you listening to yourself?" Harry asked incredulously. "What you're saying makes absolutely no sense, I'm-I'm a boy,"

Remus waved Harry comment off. "That makes no matter, werewolves don't use gender as humans do, they do not differentiate between male and female. Status and hierarchy are what they focus upon, the alpha, those submissive to them, second in command betas, they all have their place. If you were to be bitten you would have all the abilities a born werewolf would have and would be entitled to a position in their hierarchy as well."

"What else would I be able to do?" Harry asked out of curiosity, even though he still didn't believe a word that Remus was saying.

"You would be able to see and hear better of course. Be able to move faster, have a greater ability for wandless magic, bear cubs, among other things-"

Harry choked before staring at Remus disbelievingly.

"What?" Remus asked. "I know this is difficult to believe but you're not going to become a werewolf so there is no reason to be upset about-"

Harry put up his hand and shook his head. "No, I said I would listen to you, but what you're saying now is just…insane. You've gone off the deep end. I had a hard enough time believing that Venren is Fenrir and now you're telling me that you suspect I'm some human-werewolf hybrid that can bear cubs?!" Harry shook his head and began walking towards the door.

"Harry, where are you going?" Remus asked worriedly.

"I'm going…to the library to find out what's wrong with you," Harry answered as he began to open the door.

"Stay inside the castle," Remus called.

Harry nodded tersely and left.

--

Remus found Sirius and Dumbldore in the Headmaster's office shortly afterwards.

"How did it go?" Sirius asked concernedly.

Remus shrugged. "He stayed and listened to me for most of what I had to say. Didn't believe a word of it though," Remus answered.

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "Where is he now?"

"Library, he said to figure out what was wrong with me," Remus replied.

Sirius chuckled. "Can't really blame him though, I wouldn't believe you either."

"Who would he believe though? What I told him isn't common knowledge so his other friends or the Weasley family couldn't back me up. And he is still angry with you two and wouldn't believe you in any case," Remus replied.

"Perhaps, if he read for himself, he might believe?" Sirius suggested.

Dumbledore shook his head. "The only documents available that reflect the historical truth and aspects of werewolf culture that Remus spoke of are written by the werewolves themselves, in their own language."

The three men sat in silence for a moment before Dumbledore spoke once more. "Perhaps it is better if Harry doesn't believe anyway. As long as Fenrir and other wild werewolves stay away, there is no reason for Harry to worry about his connection to them," Dumbledore nodded to himself. "Yes, perhaps that will be better."

Remus and Sirius regarded Dumbledore skeptically but didn't say anything as Dumbledore continued speaking.

"Well, we will give him some time to himself but later on tonight we will need to ask him for more details about the events that occurred before he was kidnapped. Hopefully after that he can be reunited with his family and we can put his summer back on track," Dumbledore summarized hopefully.

Sirius sighed a bit regretfully and left with Remus shortly afterwards. As the two were walking back to their temporary quarters in Hogwarts Sirius turned to Remus.

"Do you think things will turn out that way?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know what will happen anymore…But perhaps in the meantime we should go help Harry try to figure out what mental problems I might have," Remus added sardonically.

Sirius laughed heartily. "Yes, Let's."

--

Thanks for reading! Don't worry, Fenrir will be back in the next chapter. All reviews and comments are welcomed!!


	11. On the Road Again

-1Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters

Warning: Violence I guess, at the end

--

Fenrir sat up gingerly to see Catherine watching him concernedly.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

Fenrir looked around and noted he was in the sleeping den once more, his chest was wrapped with a thick green gauzy material.

"I feel numb," Fenrir muttered, his voice sounded raspy.

Catherine nodded. "That's the cauliander root I gave you earlier, it should wear off soon."

Fenrir nodded before turning to Catherine. "What happened?" he asked Catherine gravely.

"When most of the pack returned here we found you unconscious, the rest of the pups were hysterical. After I calmed them down, Merri told me what happened. Apparently after you were struck unconscious, Harry was taken by the two other wizards," Catherine answered as she watched Fenrir apprehensively.

When Fenrir spoke his voice was taut with anger. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"About one day, my lord," Catherine answered quickly.

Fenrir closed his eyes and tried to master his rage. "Bring me Thedron and my traveling clothes, we will be leaving shortly."

"But my lord, you need your rest. Any other werewolf would have died from the wounds you suffered-"

"When I Give an order I expect you to Heed it, Catherine!" Fenrir shouted. Several nearby werewolves hurriedly ran out of the sleeping den.

"Of course, my lord," Catherine answered.

--

Thedron walked carefully over to Fenrir before kneeling quickly. Catherine had said their leader was especially irritable this day so it was best to not take any chances. Although, considering the circumstances, Thedron thought Fenrir was handling his temper quite well.

"You called for me my lord?" Thedron asked politely.

"Get up," Fenrir ordered impatiently. Thedron did so.

"You will be taking me to Hogwarts. I assume you know the way, considering you attended that establishment?"

Thedron nodded quickly. "Yes, my lord."

"Good, we will be leaving soon. Complete your affairs and meet me in the clearing as soon as possible."

Thedron agreed immediately.

--

Harry sighed as he listlessly flipped through _101 magical maladies of the mind. _After a few moments he gave up and laid his head down upon the old pages. There was little point in searching through the book in any case. He didn't really believe that Remus was crazy, that was just his first reaction to completely preposterous ideas. As Harry thought about it, it became less and less likely that Remus was simply suffering from one to many bludgers to the head. For Harry remembered that Sirius and Dumbledore also obviously believed Remus. Harry also knew that it was even less likely that Dumbledore and Sirius had been confounded as well.

But now that Harry had ruled widespread insanity out of the equation he was left where he began- in the dark with no idea what to believe.

Harry took a calming breath and tried to think logically. If one accepted that Remus, Sirius, and Dumbledore were really who they said they were and that they were all in their right mind, that left him with three options. Harry grabbed a piece of paper and a quill to write.

_1. Remus was lying_

_2. Remus was telling the truth_

_3. Remus was telling what he believed to be the truth_

Harry tapped his fingers as he reviewed his short list. A moment later he crossed off number one. Remus had never lied to him before and Harry doubted he would start now.

Harry stared at number two, found it as hard to believe as before and promptly crossed it off the list too. Which left number three.

Harry placed his quill down and bit his lip in thought. When was the last time anyone had actually seen Fenrir? Could this whole situation be a simple problem of mistaken identity? Harry wasn't sure, but that idea was the one that made the most sense so far.

It was obvious that the only person who would be able to make this situation at all clear was Venren himself. Unfortunately, Harry was positive that neither Sirius, Remus, or Dumbledore would set up a friendly chat between an 'evil werewolf' and 'the boy who lived'. Of course, Harry reminded himself, he could always try to contact Venren on his own.

Harry had wanted to do so anyway, to make sure they were alright. Now, Harry wanted to ask some questions as well. However, there was the tiny problem of actually getting into contact with Venren. The eccentric leader didn't use conventional means of communication, muggle, wizarding, or otherwise. Harry frankly doubted that an owl would get to Venren, it would most likely be eaten before it ever got anywhere near the clearing let alone Venren himself.

That left Harry with only one option - he would have to find his friends himself. He would have the chance when went back to the Durselys. He could easily be gone for a couple of days without anyone being the wiser. For the first time Harry was grateful for the fact that his family ignored him most of the time.

Perhaps if Harry found Venren and his friends again he could have them explain to Dumbledore that they were only an unconventional group of people in the forest that didn't mean any harm. And then, and Harry knew he was stretching his luck, but just perhaps Dumbledore might let him stay with them over the summer and the occasional holiday.

Now all Harry had to do was figure out where Venren's clearing was. Suddenly filled with hope once again, Harry ran to the geography section of the library. After skimming the titles located there Harry pulled out _Magical Forests of Britain_.

The book had a shiny green leather cover and looked brand new. Apparently geography wasn't a strong suit of Hogwart's students Harry mused. Harry took a seat in front of the book shelf before opening his new acquisition.

The pages were crisp and easy to read. However, Harry quickly began to feel that such a search was fruitless. The book listed at least 30 forests accompanied by a long description which listed the types of magical plants that inhabited them. Harry sighed, it would take more time than he had to read the descriptions, let alone make a logical decision about where Venren might be. But then he noticed that each forest came with several pictures as well. Harry smiled and began to peruse the pictures carefully.

Harry had never been an extraordinary student when it came to Herbology. However, he was confident that he would be able to find the correct forest. He had spent every moment for two weeks in that forest after all.

Harry's confidence was not misplaced. Five minutes later Harry stopped at a particular photograph. Although he had never seen that location before it was reminiscent of the types of trees Harry had seen in Venren's forest before.

And although anyone else might not have seen one bit of difference between the numerous photos that decorated that book's pages, Harry was positive he had found the forest in which his friends lived.

A moment later the library doors opened. Harry, immensely grateful that Madam Pince was not present, quickly tore out the forest's corresponding pages and stuffed them into his jean pocket before running back to his previous place and trying to look innocent.

Sirius and Remus entered the library and sat on the opposite side of the table beside Harry.

"So, find anything promising?" Sirius asked jokingly, causing Remus to roll his eyes in response.

Harry looked vacantly down at the open book on the table and remembered why he had said he had come to the library in the first place.

"Oh yea…no. No, I didn't find anything," Harry mumbled.

A beat of silence followed before Harry looked up at Sirius and Remus once more.  
"But I was wondering…you think maybe you two just…got the wrong person? I mean when was the last time anyone has seen Fenrir? Venren could just have a strong resemblance perhaps?" Harry held his breath. Remus' face was determinedly blank so Harry turned to his godfather.

Sirius looked contemplative for a moment. "I don't think so, Harry. But…I guess anything is possible. Maybe we are just grasping at straws to try to explain what has happened. I don't know. The only thing I know is that these last two weeks have been some of the most worrisome I've had in a long time. I was just so anxious to have you back that once we discovered where you were, I was willing to do anything to get you back. And whether or not I did right by you back in that forest, I'm just relieved you're back here and unharmed."

Harry was touched with his godfather's frankness, but before Harry could respond, the library doors opened once more. This time Dumbledore walked through. Harry was still irritated with the older wizard but realized that being uncooperative would accomplish little.

"I am sorry to interrupt. I intended to go over what happened the evening of the Triwizard tournament with Harry tonight, however it seems we are going to have to move up our discussion."

"What has happened?" Sirius asked.

"I have just received an owl from the minister. We are having a meeting today to discuss next year's staffing problems and he has since expressed a desire to speak with Harry afterwards, as well as present Harry's winnings of course."

"Why does he want to speak with me?" Harry asked.

"The ministry is currently trying to cover up the 'supposed' return of Voldemort in order to avoid a mass panic. I assume he will try to convince you that these recent events are the works of Voldemort's supporters and not Voldemort, as he himself believes," Dumbledore explained.

"But that's not true!" Harry exclaimed.

"I know that only too well, Harry. However, others will not be so quick to believe the word of a 14 year old boy. Regardless, whatever happens, myself, Sirius, and Remus will support you I'm sure," Dumbledore assured.

Harry nodded as Dumbledore sat beside Sirius.

"So…where should I start?" Harry asked quietly.

"After you touched the trophy would be best," Dumbledore suggested.

So Harry told the three adults everything he remembered of the death of Cedric Diggory and Voldemort's rebirth. Soon after, Harry concluded with his recollection of escaping the death eaters and being stunned. Harry made sure to place special emphasis on the fact that Venren had apparated him away from danger. To Harry's disappointment, it didn't seem to help further convince anyone.

Once had finished Dumbledore rose solemnly.

"Thank you, Harry. You behaved very bravely and if you ever wish to speak with me about what happened that night you need only say the word."

Harry nodded a bit embarrassedly.

"Now, I must attend the meeting with the minister. He will meet you in the Great Hall at four this afternoon, if our meeting goes as planned."

Harry nodded his understanding before Dumbledore smiled and left once more. Sirius, unaccustomed to dwelling on such dour subjects, wasted no time in challenging Harry to a game of exploding snap.

Harry enjoyed his day with Remus and Sirius very much, made even more special by the fact that they had so little leisure time in which to spend with him. Harry looked forward to spending the next day with them as well. However, right before Harry was to leave to meet with the minister he found out that he was to be leaving for the Dursely's the next day.

Sirius pulled Harry into fierce hug which was quickly followed by Remus' less feverous but no less heartfelt one.

Harry smiled. "What was that for?" Harry asked.

Sirius looked down dejectedly. "Remus and I have to be leaving now."

"It was reckless of us to even stay this long with the minister in Hogwarts," Remus added. Harry nodded understandingly, he had admittedly forgotten how dangerous it was for Sirius to be seen about the wizarding world.

"It was worth it though, to spend the day with you," Sirius added.

Remus nodded in agreement.

"Where will you be going?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I have a family house, dull place really," Sirius added with a downward twist of his lips that Harry knew meant disgust. That expression usually accompanied a reference to Snape in Harry's experience so Harry knew that 'dull place' was most likely an extreme understatement.

But Sirius quickly smiled once more and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Don't worry about me though. Just make sure to keep your chin up with the Dursleys and write me often."

Harry nodded and looked towards Remus.

"I must resume my position within the werewolf packs in Europe. Unfortunately, I will not be able to keep in contact with you," Remus lamented.

Sirius and Remus said their goodbyes once more, warned Harry to stay out of danger, and made their last moments together stretch so long that Harry had to run to the Great Hall to make it on time.

Harry skidded to a halt in front of the large doors and straightened his robes nervously, he was not looking forward to this meeting in the least. Then, summoning as much determination as he was able, Harry walked inside. Dumbledore, the minister, and a woman Harry had never met sat at the head table. Once he was noticed, Dumbledore quickly came to greet Harry.

"Hello, Harry."

"Hello, Headmaster," Harry replied as he tried to look at the unknown woman discreetly. Was she really wearing a _whole_ pink outfit? Harry wondered incredulously.

But then Dumbledore began speaking.

"If the minister should happen to ask, I suggest you not mention your time with Fenrir. It would perhaps be better if you were to say you were recovering with muggles before we were able to locate you."

"Venren is none of their business," Harry began. "Why would that matter to them anyway, are you worried they might think I spent the last two weeks with a death eater?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, despite Fenrir's connection with Voldemort, he was never a death eater. I am worried that they find out that you spent the last two weeks with a werewolf," Dumbledore clarified.

"Why would that matter? Even if they were werewolves, it's not the ministry's problem as long as they're not a danger to anyone Harry argued.

"I agree, Harry. However, lately people…especially the minister and his new supporters are becoming increasingly prejudice against those of mixed heritage."

"That's wrong-"

"I know, and I agree. But for now it is best if we not mention anything about werewolves," Dumbledore concluded.

Harry nodded. "Alright, I wasn't going to say anything anyway," Harry added with a glare towards the minister.

Dumbledore smiled in response. "You don't have to speak with them long, my boy. If they ask you anything that makes you uncomfortable you don't have to answer. And I'll be right up there, finishing my afternoon snack," Dumbledore comforted.

Harry nodded as minister Fudge and the lady in pink began to walk over. Dumbledore headed back to his place at the professor's table.

"Well hello there, Mr. Potter," Mr. Fudge began jovially as he reached out his hand. Harry returned the minister's handshake a bit awkwardly.

"May I introduce a good friend of mind, Ms. Umbridge," the minister continued.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Potter," Ms. Umbridge began in a syrupy voice.

"You too," Harry mumbled lamely, wishing that the minister would hurry up about whatever he was here for.

Harry's impatience must have shown for Mr. Fudge hurriedly placed the Tri wizard tournament winnings upon the nearby Gryffindor table.

The loud clatter of wizarding money did little to stimulate Harry's interest though, especially since Harry had already decided to ask Dumbledore to send the money to Cedric's family.

"This is, well your winnings, Mr. Potter," the minister prompted enthusiastically, thinking perhaps that the Harry's lack of interest was due to ignorance.

"I know," Harry responded. "Thank you. I'm planning to have it sent to Cedric's family," Harry added. The minister looked a little surprised at that but continued nonetheless.

"Very noble thing to do. Such a sad affair, that boy's death. But then, there always will be those continuing the work of You know Who. I trust you'll not add strength to their movement by supporting Professor Dumbledore's account of events?"

"Dumbledore's account?" Harry asked.

"Well yes, he has been trying to get people to believe that You Know Who has returned, he even suggested that I remove the dementors from Azkaban, preposterous really!"

"That's not his version minister, Voldemort really has returned. And you would do well to think carefully upon whatever suggestions that Dumbledore might give you," Harry replied sternly.

While the minister sputtered for a response Ms. Umbridge giggled girlishly.

"Oh, Mr. Potter, you can't really believe that! It was through your actions that You Know Who was destroyed, of course he is not back," she chastised.

"He did come back!" Harry replied.

"Mr. Potter-"

"No, I'm not going to bother arguing with you. I am telling the truth and I refuse to lie about it or hide it just because you don't want to believe me. Thank you for delivering the winnings but I don't think we have anything else to discuss," Harry grabbed the bag of coins and marched up to Dumbledore.

"Headmaster, could you deliver these to Cedric's parents?" Harry asked.

"Certainly my boy, I took the liberty of dropping off your friend's letters by your bed at the hospital wing."

"Thanks!" Harry replied happily.

"Do try to get a good night's rest, Harry. Tomorrow I will be taking you to the train station so that you can resume you summer with the Dursleys,"

Harry was a bit discouraged to hear that but nodded nevertheless before leaving the great hall. Harry made sure to ignore the minister and Ms. Umbridge on his way out.

--

Harry spent the train ride to London going over his summer plans. First he would have to pick the lock on his old cupboard where his family would inevitably stow away his magical items. After that he would take his firebolt and invisibility cloak and follow the map that he had taken from the book, _Magical Forests of Britain_. And then if everything went well, Harry would find his friends. Harry knew that his plan wasn't perfect and that a lot could go wrong. Hermione would most likely say it was a shot in the dark and that Harry had little hope to find what he was looking for.

And in any other situation, Hermione would be right. But Harry knew he could find Venren, John, Karl, and Merri if he put his mind to it. And Harry had to find them, if only to make sure that they were alright.

--

Fenrir clenched his fists angrily, trying to master the urge to murder every wizard within a five mile radius.

"Harry is no longer here," Fenrir growled to Thedron as he surveyed Hogwarts' grounds from his place within the Forbidden forest.

"I am sorry, my lord," Thedron responded humbly.

"Sorry? Sorry doesn't change the Fact that EVERY moment that Harry spends with those Wizards is another minute where he is turned against me!"

Thedron kneeled hurriedly, hoping his show of submission would deflect his lord's wrath from him.

Fenrir took another calming breath before turning to Thedron once more. "It's best if you return to our territory. The full moon will rise soon. I will have enough trouble controlling myself during that time, let alone a changling like yourself that is incapable of restraint then."

Thedron nodded. "Your judgment is best, my lord. Is there anything else you would like to know about this area before I return home?"

Fenrir closed his eyes and focused on the direction of Harry's trail that was already dissipating from these surroundings. The trail headed West.

"Yes, Thedron. What is in that direction?" Fenrir asked as he pointed towards the setting sun.

Thedron looked up. "Hogsmead lies that way my lord, along with Hogwart's train station.

Fenrir glared at the horizon, he hated trains…

--

Fenrir was sure that Harry had recently come this way and was not taking any time to linger around.

Even though Fenrir followed the train tracks from the relative cover of the surrounding trees, the loud crashing noise that resulted every time a train went by was almost unbearable to the werewolf's sensitive ears.

But Fenrir was not one to complain and was simply happy that he had found Harry's trail once more.

--

As Harry suspected, his magical items were quickly locked up in his old cupboard the moment he arrived. Luckily, he was able to keep his wand, some money hidden in his jean pockets, and his map to Venren's forest.

Harry's first couple of days with his family passed uneventfully. They mainly left him alone to do as he pleased most of the time, which Harry felt was a great improvement over previous years where he was made to do random chores all day.

During his free time Harry anticipated catching up with Venren, John, Karl, and Merri. Harry had decided to set out to find his friends that Friday. The Durselys usually had friends over for dinner that night and went out all day Saturday. As long as Harry was able to get back by Sunday night for dinner, the Durselys would never suspect that he had left.

But that was several days away. Currently, Harry had nothing more to look forward to than spending the rest of his day rocking aimlessly on his favorite swing at the nearby park.

And that was exactly what Harry did. The next hour passed quickly as he daydreamed. Before he new it, the sun was setting. Harry got up listlessly to walk home as he spotted Dudley about a block away walking home with his old group of bully friends. Harry decided to hang back while they were together and only caught up with Dudley after his cousin was alone once more.

Harry and his cousin quickly fell back into their argumentative habits. Harry didn't really care, once you were insulted by Snape, everyone else paled in comparison really. Then, Harry felt a sudden cool rush upon him. The feeling was almost reminiscent of the dementors from third year, but Harry quickly dismissed that idea. How could dementors appear on Privet drive?

The feeling was enough to make him stop in his tracks though. Dudley turned to him, "What, is walking too much for you now-"

"Dudley, shut up," Harry responded absently as he looked around worriedly. Something was out there on that deserted street.

"Don't tell me to-" Dudley started angrily, that was until he felt the chill as well. Harry quickly reached out for Dudley's arm and tugged it insistently.

"Come on, we have to leave," Harry didn't know what was out there but he didn't really want to stick around and find out.

"Get off, I'm not going anywhere with you-" Dudley retorted as he started running in the opposite direction.

Before Harry could start after him a blackness suddenly descended upon the already dark alley of Privet Drive. Dudley was suddenly near him once more.

"Stop it, Harry!" Dudley pleaded.

"I'm not doing anything!" Harry shouted as he tried to hold his wand out in all directions. Then, against all odds, two dementors emerged from the darkness. Harry didn't even have enough time to feel surprise. All he knew was that he was stuck alone in an alley with his muggle cousin and two dementors. Before Harry was drowned in the last moments of his mother's life, he summoned his memories from his two weeks with Venren and shouted the spell to repel dementors. Harry's patronus emerged gallantly to fend off the two dementors.

And as suddenly as the darkness had descended, the darkness lifted. Harry looked down, feeling oddly drained yet euphoric from his success. His cousin Dudley was shaking upon the ground near his feet.

Dudley looked up at him, horrified. "What did you do?!"

Harry looked at his wand vacantly, he had performed magic, outside of school, Again. Harry sighed and prayed against all odds that the ministry had somehow missed it. Even though he was perfectly justified in his actions, Harry knew that very few people would believe his dementor story.

Harry walked quickly to the main street of Privet Drive to see a ministry owl fly through an open window of the Dursley house. Harry could distantly hear aunt Petunia shriek. Duddley hobbled up next to him. "Oh…you're going to get it now."

"You know, for once Dudley, I couldn't agree more," Harry replied a bit numbly. For he knew exactly what that letter was going to say. It would greet him kindly enough before reporting that he had performed underage magic. Then the letter would remind him of the consequences of such an action. Harry shuddered at the thought of his wand being broken. Harry _needed_ his wand, no matter what.

Harry's feet started moving of their own accord, away from Privet Drive.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dudley asked.

"I don't know, but I can't go back. The ministry will be there any moment to destroy my wand,"

Harry reflexively jumped at the sound of apparation. Harry knew if he stayed there any longer he would be found. Before even really thinking about what he was doing, Harry found himself running.

--

Fenrir made it to London the day of the full moon. He allowed himself to feel a moment of gratefulness that he was a pureblood werewolf. As a pureblood werewolf he would be able to keep his mind and most of his instincts in check during the full moon. It was the changelings that had the most difficult time. During the full moon a changeling succumbed more fully to the werewolf side of their nature. It was dangerous for a changeling to be around humans during that time, especially for newly turned werewolves who were just starting to get acquainted with their instinctive werewolf traits.

Luckily, Fenrir did not have to worry about that. He would be able to continue his search for Harry, full moon or not.

--

Harry sighed as he walked down yet another unfamiliar city street. At first he was happy to just run away in any direction that wasn't previously occupied by ministry aurors, but he was starting to see that running in a random direction hadn't been such a bright idea either.

He was completely lost. Not really too surprising really, considering that Harry was never allowed to roam far. He had never really known the area around the Dursley's house well. Harry was only allowed from school and back, and had rarely been taken into town.

So now Harry found himself in an entirely foreign area with no sense of direction, without even the benefit of his wand. Harry knew that if he used any magic again, the ministry would be able to track it while he was in a muggle area. That also ruled out the option of the knight bus even if he wasn't recognized the moment he boarded. Hedgwig was stuck in a cage back on Privet Drive and Harry was never taught how to use a patronus as a message.

No matter how Harry looked at it, he couldn't think of a way to get in touch with Sirius or Dumbledore without the ministry finding out.

Harry wrapped his arms around himself worriedly. It was getting steadily colder as time went on and the streets became more and more deserted.

He was no longer even in a residential area, the street that he was on was surrounded by tall business buildings and occasional empty parking lots. Now that Harry was no longer feeling a rush of adrenaline, he realized how tired and hungry he actually was.

Yet there was no where he could stop, unless he wanted to sleep on the sidewalk. Harry shook his head, he doubted that he would be able to sleep in any case, even if he had a safe bed for the night.

It would be safer if he just kept walking until morning. As long as he kept his wand intact until he was able to find his godfather, everything would be alright, Harry reassured himself.

Harry kept on walking and was surprised to see lights up ahead. There appeared to be a small gas station beside a dingy looking movie theater. Harry checked his pockets and decided that he had enough change for something to satiate his hunger.

Harry walked into the brightly lit gas station and began looking for a cheap candy bar. After he made his choice, Harry paid for the candy bar and hurriedly began eating it as he walked out of the store.

Harry finished his 'dinner' in about four steps. As he walked through the gas station parking lot, Harry realized that what he thought was a nearby movie theater was actually a night club of sorts.

As Harry walked by he could hear the music pounding from inside. Suddenly the club door opened. Harry automatically turned, only to see a someone being tossed out of the establishment.

The man suddenly hit the pavement not far in front of Harry. Harry jumped, startled once again. The man looked to be only several years older than Harry, but had matured well. Harry could see the man's large arms even in the limited light provided by the distant streetlamps. After shaking his head the man turned back to glare at the club as if it was the club's fault that he had been forcibly removed.

Harry started walking away quickly which only served to alert the man to Harry's presence.

"What're you looking at?" the man slurred to Harry's back.

Harry tensed but only started walking faster.

"Don't ignore me!" the man continued.

Harry glanced worriedly behind him to see the man advancing upon him. Harry's heart started pounding as he looked around for help. There was no one. Harry supposed he could run back to the gas station or club, but then he'd have to get passed the man in the first place.

Harry turned around again to run in the opposite direction, hoping he could simply outrun his pursuer.

Harry got a few steps before he was tackled from behind. Harry hit the concrete harshly, knocking the breath from his lungs.

"You're not going anywhere, you little punk!"

Harry took a moment to inwardly curse his luck at having run into an angry drunk on his first night alone before struggling wildly.

However, the man was heavy and had Harry successfully pinned beneath him. Having failed that, Harry brought his head up to smack his assailants nose savagely in a move borne more from luck than actual intent.

"Shit!" The man shouted in pain as he brought his hands to his injured face.

Harry capitalized on his momentary freedom by rolling out from under the man and quickly getting to his feet.

Harry stepped out to run only to be brought down again by a firm tug to his ankle. Harry turned around from his place on the pavement to see the man getting to his feet with Harry's foot still firmly in his grasp.

Harry felt the hard concrete scraping against his back as the man started dragging him from the street into an alley beside the club.

As he thrashed against the man's hold, Harry resigned himself to the fact that he would have to use his wand again. The ministry would probably show up immediately afterwards and then Harry would have to run again, but it was better than getting beat up in an alley, Harry thought.

When they got into the alley, the man dropped Harry's feet forcefully. Harry had finally been able to get his wand out of his pocket and was about to use it when the man's booted foot kicked him viciously in the stomach.

Harry let out a grunt of pain as he instinctively curled within himself.

"Like that boy?" The man asked tauntingly.

Harry reached out again with his wand only to be kicked in the shoulder. Harry's wand clattered out of his reach.

Harry saw the man rearing back to kick him once more. This time when the man's foot connected with his chest, Harry wrapped his arms around it and twisted while tugging forcefully downwards.

Harry's assailant was brought down next to him. Before Harry could get up to find his wand, the man was on him once again. Harry was sure he got him in the face pretty well a couple of time but that did little to deter the angry man. The man's superior strength and weight gave him the advantage and he was able to easily get a firm grasp around Harry's neck.

Harry tried to regain his breath but every time he exhaled the man pressed further down. Harry was forcibly reminded of how he felt during those last moments of the second task while he suffocated under the water; breathless and so very tired.

Just as Harry started to feel as if his ribs were breaking, a dark shape appeared and tackled the drunk man to the ground.

Harry hurriedly crawled away, gasping for breath. Once his mind had cleared a little, Harry turned on his side too look back at what had saved him. A dark shape was huddled over the drunk man. Harry shuddered as he heard bone breaking. He didn't feel too sorry for the dying man though, considering that the man had almost murdered him in this alley, Harry thought sardonically.

Harry looked closer at the shape that hovered over the dying man at the entrance to the alley. It looked vaguely like a dog, a larger dog than Harry had seen in a long time though.

Hope suddenly rose in Harry once more.

"Sirius?" Harry asked happily as he stood on shaky feet.

The creature shook itself vigorously for a moment before turning around and walking towards Harry. It stepped into a pale strip of moonlight.

The smile disappeared from Harry's face. Sirius' fur was not silver. Nor was his jaw so square or his teeth so sharp.

The creature suddenly leaped in a graceful arc towards Harry before he had a chance to examine it further.

Harry hid his face underneath his arms as he felt the strong body of the creature crash into him as he fell to the floor. And for the third time that night, Harry was sure he was about to die.

Harry tensed, sure that he was about to feel pain, but nothing came. Well, Harry did feel an odd sensation on the top of his head. He looked up only to the see the creature lapping his hair contentedly.

Once Harry moved his arms down cautiously the creature began licking his face too.

"Alright, you can stop now," Harry said, feeling relieved, if not a little disgusted that he was being licked by a creature that had just killed his attacker. It didn't seem that the creature was intent on killing him anytime soon at least, Harry thought.

Harry pushed the heavy animal off of him to get to his feet once more. The animal only began circling Harry happily, tail wagging all the while.

Harry stared at the animal confusedly. It was larger than any dog he had ever seen, even Remus in his werewolf form. But the creature wasn't acting the least bit like Remus had. Could it simply be a dog then? A large, ferocious looking dog with a saving people thing… but a dog nonetheless? The creature butted it's head into Harry's arm, asking to be petted.

Harry smiled at he patted the dog's head gratefully.

"I don't know what you are, but thanks," Harry told the creature truthfully.

"You should probably get out of here so you don't get caught either," Harry admonished before gathering his wand and turning to leave the alley while trying to not touch dead man lying beside the entrance.

Harry hadn't walked far before he noticed he was being followed. Harry turned around to see the dog walking after him, it's tail was still wagging as if it didn't have a care in the world.

"Shoo, go on now, I don't have anything for you," Harry told the dog sternly.

The dog only walked past Harry and turned around with a look upon it's face that clearly said, "Aren't you coming?"

Harry sighed and caught up with the dog.

"Well, I guess it will be helpful to have someone like you around," Harry admitted.

The dog tilted his head in seeming agreement.

"Thanks again, for what you did back there. Real nice of you, not that I couldn't have gotten out of it myself of course," Harry added jokingly with false bravado.

The dog snorted and Harry smiled in return, feeling happy without being sure why.

"You know, you should be careful traveling with me. I always get in to trouble and am not sure really where I'm headed," Harry said, speaking more to himself than the dog. The dog seemed like a good listener though.

"In any case, it's nice having you along for the ride," Harry looked up at the sky, just noticing that it was a full moon. Harry quickly looked down to the dog walking calmly by his side, totally unlike any werewolf behavior Harry had ever read about.

"I guess you're just an uncommon looking dog, wolf thing then? You don't look nearly so terrifying with your mouth closed you know," Harry closed his own mouth as he realized he was rambling.

"I can't believe I'm talking to a dog," Harry added with a small smirk. "I have to say though, you're a better conversationalist than Dudley."

The dog did that small downward tilt of his head again that made it seem to Harry as if it were listening.

Harry shook his head and smiled to himself. There was something different about this creature, he was sure. But until he found out what, Harry was just happy to have some company along the way.

--

Thanks for reading and any reviews are very much welcome!!


	12. Revelations

-1Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters

--

They had walked for a couple more hours after that. Harry felt much safer with the large dog beside him.

Along their way, several other late night pedestrians stopped to stare at the unlikely pair, but no one else bothered them.

Eventually they had walked into yet another residential area and found a large grassy area. At first Harry had believed it was another park, but on closer inspection he realized it was a golf course.

His new companion seemed to enjoy the large open area in any case, Harry mused. Harry watched as the dog ran happily through the grass.

"You like it here?" Harry asked lightly after the dog had finished running around.

The dog barked in assent.

"Good, because I don't think I can walk much longer without getting some rest," Harry admitted tiredly. Harry looked around the large golf course and saw several groups of trees in the distance.

"We'll rest by those trees over there, probably be a bit safer than out here in the open," Harry decided.

--

Fenrir woke up more contented than he had in many days. When he opened his eyes he quickly realized why. Harry was sleeping peacefully next to him.

Fenrir frowned as he noted that Harry had quite a few scratches upon him and some painful looking bruising around his neck that he didn't notice the night before.

He also noticed that Harry had lost whatever weight and healthy pallor the boy had achieved while with his pack.

Fenrir forced down his anger with the wizards that allowed such things to happen to Harry before reaching out to gently brush the boy's messy hair through his fingers. Harry sighed contentedly but did not awake.

Fenrir smiled before staring into the quickly brightening sky. He supposed he could turn back into his wolf form of his own volition now.

But Fenrir quickly discarded that idea. It would hardly help the situation if he procrastinated. Fenrir shrugged out of his long fur cloak and draped it over Harry's sleeping form while trying to decide what to say when the boy woke.

About an hour later Fenrir watched amusedly as Harry burrowed deeper into his makeshift bed, brining the cloak over his head and curling into a tighter ball.

Meanwhile Harry was wondering in his sleep fogged brain just when the Dursleys managed to get such soft and nice smelling blankets. Harry mentally shrugged. It didn't matter, he decided, he was comfortable now. As Harry began to vaguely wonder when he should force himself up, Harry suddenly remembered that he had run away from the Durselys the night before. He had fallen asleep in a golf course. A place definitely devoid of blankets Harry was certain. Before he could give himself more time to panic, Harry jumped up with his wand drawn as he searched around him.

Harry's eyes widened in shock as he saw Fenrir sitting comfortably by a near by tree with a small smirk upon his face.

"Venren! It's really you!" Harry launched himself at the man and gave him a quick hug.

Harry was very relieved to see Venren, especially since the last time he had seen him, the man had been gravely injured.

Fenrir laughed deeply and easily picked Harry up and spun him in a circle. Harry yelped in surprised before Venren set him upon the ground once more.

"I'm happy to see you too, little one," Fenrir replied.

"I can't believe you're actually here," Harry began excitedly. "You wouldn't believe what happened. I had to go stay with my relatives but then there were dementors and then I ran away. I was going to try to find you or someone but then I got caught by this random person outside of a bar and then there was this dog-" Harry suddenly stopped his rambling as he turned around and scanned the grassy area around him.

"I had a dog. He was Huge! I wonder where he got to?" Harry's eyes landed suspiciously upon Fenrir once more.

Fenrir regarded Harry gravely.

Harry took a step backwards in sudden realization.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Harry asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Fenrir took a breath before nodding slightly in response.

Harry sighed and looked down at the ground. "Well thanks then, for saving me again I mean."

"You don't seem as surprised as you might be. They told you what I am then?" Fenrir asked pointedly.

"Remus did-," Harry answered.

"Remus?" Fenrir interrupted. Of all the people that Harry could have spoken to, Remus was the last person the Fenrir would have wished for.

Harry nodded.

"And he had only the best of events to relate to you?" Fenrir asked sarcastically.

"Not really, but he said a lot of things. Most of which I didn't believe, that was why I was going to find you, and to make sure you were alright of course. But was he right? Are you really Fenrir Greyback?" Harry asked nervously.

"This is not the place to discuss such things. Come, I will take us back to the safety of our woods and there I will truthfully answer any questions you may have," Fenrir replied as he held out his hand.

Harry hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do. Harry's hesitation hurt Fenrir more than Harry would ever know, but Fenrir did not let it show on his face. He only spoke once more.

"Come Harry, I assure you that no harm will come to you while you are with me…And after our talk, if you still wish to leave, I will take you back to your school or wherever else you may wish to go," It was hard for Fenrir to add the last part but he refused to keep Harry against his will any longer.

After a beat of silence, Harry nodded and took Fenrir's hand.

--

Harry chose a comfortable looking spot upon a rock in one of the many familiar clearings that surrounded Venren's home.

Fenrir sat down easily in the grass before Harry. Harry noted that the older man's dark boots matched the surrounding leaves. Which led Harry to belatedly remember that he still had the man's cloak. It was a nice cloak though, very soft. Perhaps Venren wouldn't mind if he kept it for just a bit longer, Harry mused.

"Harry?" Fenrir asked for the third time.

"What?" Harry asked, suddenly jilted from his drifting thoughts.

"Your mind was wandering there for a minute. Did you have any specific questions?" Fenrir asked.

Harry blushed. "Oh yes, I did," Harry started as he tried to get his thoughts back into line. It was so very hard to worry about other things here, especially with the early morning sun shining happily through the clearing. But that wasn't important at the moment. Harry cleared his throat and decided to begin with basic questions.

"So you're a werewolf then? Just to make sure, because you weren't really acting like one yesterday," Harry asked.

Fenrir nodded in understanding. "Yes, I am a werewolf. But I can see why you might be confused. Wizards are very biased against werewolves, what you have heard about us are our worst qualities magnified and then generalized to our whole race. Although, I do admit that it is dangerous for the majority of turned werewolves to be among humans during the full moon. Remus explained the difference between turned and pureblood werewolves?" Fenrir asked.

"A little," Harry answered.

"Yes, well the reason I was able to keep greater control over myself during the full moon is because I am a pureblood werewolf. Being born a werewolf, I have greater restraint than most werewolves who were changed into one," Fenrir answered.

"So you can see, hear, and smell better than most other turned werewolves?" Harry asked again for clarification.

"Among other things, yes," Fenrir answered.

Harry nodded and took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for the more personal questions.

"So you really are Fenrir Greyback?"

"That is my given name, yes," Fenrir answered tensely. Harry closed his eyes. Remus had actually been telling the truth! Harry fought down the urge to immediately run. He had wanted answers and he would get them.

"And…did you really turn Remus into a werewolf?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I did. I was angry with him. I admit that what I did was foolish but I regret it now."

Harry nodded but couldn't help asking,

"Would you ever do something like that again?"

"No," Fenrir answered immediately. Harry breathed out a sigh of relief before going on.

"I know some stories about…you. They say you killed many wizards before. Would you ever kill again? Harry asked.

Fenrir gave him an amused look. He had just murdered someone the night before after all.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Like children or innocent people," Harry clarified.

"No, I wouldn't do those things again. I realized a long time ago that murdering innocent humans did little to promote better living condition for my kind. We are too scattered now to make difference against the wizards any longer. All I try to do is protect my pack within my own lands now," Fenrir explained.

"And why didn't you tell me any of this before now?" Harry asked.

"I was going to tell you," Fenrir reaffirmed. "I just wanted you to get to know everyone before you found out what we are. But then you were taken from me and I didn't get the chance to explain. I apologize," Fenrir replied regretfully.

Harry nodded understandingly, what Fenrir said did make sense. Fenrir smiled, genuinely happy that Harry had forgiven him that so easily.

After a moment, Harry looked down at his hands and fidgeted slightly as he tried to decide how to phrase his next question.

"Well, you know Remus and Dumbledore?"

Harry asked, immediately feeling foolish, of course Fenrir would know them.

"Yes?" Fenrir asked leadingly as he wondered what next question would make Harry squirm so.

"Well, they sort of told me some things," Harry added.

"And?" Fenrir asked, marveling at how red Harry's cheeks could become when he was embarrassed.

Harry sighed and decided to just talk as quickly as possible.

"They told me you only saved me because you thought I was your mate," Harry winced as he finished, the statement sounded so much more preposterous when it was spoken out loud.

"They told you?" Fenrir asked angrily.

Harry's eyes popped open. "You mean it's True?!" Harry asked incredulously.

"No! Yes. In a way, it's complicated-"

"What does that mean?" Harry asked heatedly. "You know, you're just like them. Always hiding-"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Fenrir shouted as he felt his long canines lengthen in anger, not with Harry but with the wizards that would put such notions in Harry's head.

Harry looked up at Fenrir, suddenly frightened. Fenrir took in Harry's expression and immediately regretted letting his temper come to the forefront.

Fenrir carded his fingers through his hair in frustration and knelt before Harry.

"You have to know I would never hurt you-" Fenrir took a deep breath. "It just frustrates me when others tell you lies. I did not save you _just _because I wanted you for my mate. We share the same heritage, no matter how masked it is within you right now. It for that reason that I saved you. And I would like the think that I would have stopped your murder even if you were entirely human. I do not condone the murder of children."

Although Harry was happy to hear that, it still didn't clarify everything.

"That still doesn't answer the second part of my question. Are you…" Harry sighed. "What does this mean?" Harry asked, gesturing vaguely to the mark upon his arm.

"It's complicated," Fenrir answered. "I was not planning on discussing this with you yet," Fenrir admitted.

"What? Why not?" Harry asked sharply.

"Because it is no concern of yours now-"

"No concern?" Harry interrupted.

"No, wait. Just listen," Fenrir asked.

"Alright! I'm listening," Harry answered a moment later, clearly frustrated.

"I was not planning on speaking of this with you yet primarily because of your age. Your are only 14-"

"I'll be 15 soon," Harry noted.

"I know but it doesn't change the fact that in the eyes of pack, you are still, for all intents and purposes…a cub. To put it in our terms."

"A _cub_?" Harry asked hollowly.

"Yes. Werewolves have many traditions, ceremonies, and well…rules. And one of those rules is that cubs can not be formally courted. The only reason I marked you so soon is because of the other rival werewolf packs. I thought that by marking you, it would discourage them from trying to attain you before you formally accepted or declined my offer."

"That's who those people were? Those that attacked us, they were other werewolf packs?"

"Yes, apparently some werewolf packs do not follow the old ways of conduct as I do," Fenrir answered bitterly.

"And they attacked us because of me? Because they wanted to…" Harry stopped, he couldn't finish.

"They wanted to possess you for their own advantage, with or without your consent. You are what werewolves know as a Lycan-"

"Yes, I know! I'm a Lycan Bearer apparently. Remus already told me, I can have children or cubs or whatever. It makes absolutely no sense to me-"

"I will explain the details if or when you choose to mate," Fenrir replied reassuringly.

Harry shrugged. "I don't care. What's the point? Why are you even telling me any of this. If I'm so _important_ to you werewolves why haven't you just bitten my already?" Harry asked cynically.

"I told you, I do not do those sorts of things any longer. And neither do my pack members. And the reason I am telling you all of this is because I want you to be fully aware of your options before you make your choice."

"My choice?" Harry asked.

"Yes, whether to be bitten and continue living here with my pack or go back and live with your _wizards_," Fenrir answered, trying very hard not to sneer as he spoke the detestable word, 'wizard'.

Harry's eyes widened with surprise. "You're actually going to give me a choice?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I said I would," Fenrir answered. "You seem surprised?" Fenrir asked a moment later.

Harry nodded a little, "I don't get a choice in what happens to me very often."

"Well you will always have choices here. You have the rest of the day to make yours. Go to the dinning hall if you are hungry. And if you have any other question do not hesitate to ask," Fenrir added before he turned to go.

Harry nodded unhurriedly in response.

"Oh, and Harry?" Fenrir asked as he turned slightly.

"Yes?" Harry looked up.

"You can keep the cloak."

Harry looked down to notice that he was still clutching Fenrir's cloak harshly. Harry let go quickly and looked up once more to apologize, but Fenrir was gone.

--

Harry sat upon his rock for several more minutes before putting on Fenrir's cloak, it was a bit cold after all. Harry supposed he should go to the dinning hall at least, to get some something to eat. But he didn't feel like eating.

Harry turned in the opposite direction of the camp. He needed time to think. As Harry walked, he remembered how much he had missed this forest. It gave him a calm and safe feeling in a weird way. Strange that he would feel more comfortable in a wild forest than within Hogwarts. Was it because of his werewolf side, Harry wondered.

After several minutes of walking, Harry could see a break in the tree line. Several feet of bare rock edged the line of trees before dropping gradually to shape the valley below which was also covered with trees.

As Harry breathed in deeply and surveyed the forest below him, he heard a rustling sound behind him. Harry turned quickly to see Thedron stepping out of the forest nimbly.

Thedron looked up a moment later.

"Harry! I'm glad to see you back," Thedron greeted. "I didn't mean to bother you, I'll just go then-"

"You don't have to go," Harry heard himself saying. He suddenly didn't want to be alone.

"Is Fenrir around?" Thedron asked.

Harry thought that was a weird question to ask but answered anyway. "No…why?"

"Oh it's just that…well he's been a little irritable lately since you left. But now that you're here, there should be no problem," Thedron answered much more comfortably.

"Oh," Harry started, unsure how to answer that. "So…um, were you looking for something over here?" Harry asked a moment later.

Thedron shook his head. "No, I just like the view from here."

"Yes, me too. I just found this place actually. Hey, there's no reason for you to leave, you can watch the view with me," Harry offered.

"Alright," Thedron agreed easily before he sat beside Harry upon the flat rock. The two sat in companionable silence for several moments before Thedron began telling Harry about several things he had missed while he was away. "Then Anita fell out of that tall tree over by the falls, luckily John caught her though," Thedron trailed off. It was obvious that Harry wasn't entirely listening.

Thedron cleared his throat. "You don't have to answer… but are you ok, Harry? You seem sort of quiet."

Harry shrugged. "I just have a lot on my mind. You know Fenrir told me about everything, right?"

Thedron nodded. "Yes, but you're still here so I assumed that you had decided to stay with us anyway."

"I'm-I'm still thinking about it," Harry answered nervously. Thedron looked down a bit worriedly.

"So, you don't want to stay with us?" Thedron asked dejectedly.

"No, it's not that, it's more complicated than just asking myself if I would rather stay here or not. I have responsibilities in the wizarding world," Harry answered.

"You didn't ask for the responsibility that the wizards gave you. You should feel no obligation to them."

"I don't feel _obligated _to them. It's only that I lived with them for the last four years. I have friends there…and enemies too. I need to finish my schooling so that I will have a chance to stand up to Voldemort the next time around."

"Fenrir will protect you-"

"I don't want him to have to protect me," Harry shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I can't be the person you want me to be anyways"

"What do you mean?" Thedron asked confusedly.

"I can't be Fenrir's…whatever," Harry replied as he waved his mark in front of Thedron.

"Oh," Thedron replied understandingly. "Well, that doesn't have anything to do with your becoming a werewolf. You can decline his offer upon your 16th birthday if you wish. I can't see why you would want to decline, but it is your decision."

Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I couldn't just decline after being allowed to live here-"

"Sure you could. Who you choose as your mate is entirely your decision. I've even read in some of the tales from the old days that lycan bearers could make their suitors fight to the death before choosing a partner. Besides, who your mate is doesn't change the fact that you would be part of this pack if you were changed into a werewolf. Your right to be here as one of us would never be challenged," Thedron assured.

Harry sighed and placed his hands in his arms. "I just don't know what to do. Part of me feels so comfortable here but another part keeps reminding me that I have other places I should be."

Thedron looked quizzically at Harry, trying to think of something that would help Harry with his decision. "Alright Harry, forget all the restrictions of your life. Without worrying about anything else, what would you want your life to be like?"  
Harry stared blankly at the forest below. It was hard to think purely about what he wanted without worrying about other things.

"I would want to not be restricted. To be able to see any of my friends, Merri _and_ Hermione or Ron _and _John. Not just one or the other. I would want to finish my schooling at Hogwarts but still be able to spend time here in this forest too," Harry shrugged. "It's rather pointless wishing though. I can't have both," Harry said as he looked at Thedron sadly.

Thedron only smirked. "You never know. Tell Fenrir what you want and I'm sure he'd try to make you happy."

Harry scoffed. "Fenrir would never let me stay with wizards if I were a werewolf. He hates wizards."

"True. But he most certainly doesn't hate you and he might make an exception."

"I doubt it," Harry muttered.

"Try it, you never know."

"Maybe," Harry agreed as he looked down on the forest in thought.

--

Any reviews are welcome, thanks!!


	13. wishes and dreams

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: Thanks again so much for your reviews!

--

Harry decided to take Thedron's advice even though he doubted that Fenrir would agree with allowing him to return to Hogwarts while still remaining a part of the pack. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try.

Harry found Fenrir as he made his way back to the pack's living area. Fenrir stopped on the dirt path the moment that Harry caught sight of him.

"So have you made your decision yet, Harry?" Fenrir asked gruffly without turning around.

Harry tentatively walked forward to stand beside Fenrir before answering. "Actually, I had a question."

"And that is?" Fenrir responded sternly.

Harry looked at Fenrir confusedly. The werewolf looked strained and had yet to even look at Harry yet.

"Is there something wrong?" Harry asked, concerned with Fenrir's change of behavior.

"_That _was your question?" Fenrir asked.

"Not originally. Am I only allowed to ask one of you?" Harry asked sarcastically. Harry immediately tensed at the fire that appeared in Fenrir's eyes. Harry gulped and looked down only to realize that there were three small dead animals clutched in Fenrir's right hand.

"Look, why don't I just come back later when you're feeling better, I'll just be…somewhere-" Harry quickly turned on his heel and began walking towards the main clearing as fast as he could without running before being stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder.

"You are not going anywhere, at least not yet," Fenrir ordered as he turned Harry around to face him.

"To answer your question, nothing is wrong. I, however, do not enjoy waiting for a response which will most likely cause me grief. So…what was your original question?" Fenrir asked tensely.

"You think I'll want to go back with the other wizards?" Harry asked.

"It is the most likely case," Fenrir agreed. "So what was your question?" Fenrir asked again.

Harry breathed an inner sigh of relief as he realized that Fenrir was only acting peculiarly because he was worried what Harry would decide to do.

"Actually I do want to continue my schooling at Hogwarts," Harry started. Fenrir turned around swiftly to hide his anger but Harry could still see the dead animals in Fenrir's hand which were being steadily crushed.

Harry continued on quickly, not wanting to upset Fenrir any longer. "But I want to be part of this pack too. That was my question," Harry added quickly.

Fenrir turned around just as quickly once more as he dropped the dead rodents onto the ground.

"What?" Fenrir asked, clearly surprised.

Harry took a deep breath. "I want to be a werewolf, I feel safe here, like I belong. I haven't felt that anywhere else. But I also want to finish Hogwarts, I need to know what they have to teach."

"Why?" Fenrir asked incredulously. I can teach you anything you need to know."  
"Not about wizarding magic," Harry pointed out.

"Why would you need to use that. The magic that will be open to you once you are a werewolf would be more than enough for you here."

"I need to know more than that though."  
"Why?" Fenrir asked, frustrated."

"To protect my friends from Voldemort, to avenge my family-"

"If he's so important to you, I'll kill him then," Fenrir interrupted.

"No!" Harry argued.

"Why not, if it will bring you happiness I have no problem ending that wizards life-"

"No, it's a wizard's war. Besides, I will not have another person dying for me."

"You think I would die? Need I give you yet another example of my strength?"

"No, it's just…Voldemort is not like other wizards. I don't want to take the chance." Harry sighed. "I just-Finishing school at Hogwarts is just something I need to do. But I want to be part of this family too. Thedron told me to tell you how I feel, he said you would listen. But you can just send me back to Hogwarts if that's too difficult for you," Harry answered sullenly.

"I am listening to you," Fenrir replied before thinking for a moment. "Alright, so you want to become part of this pack but continue your schooling?" Fenrir asked again for clarification.

Harry nodded enthusiastically. "And then if I was a part of this pack Dumbledore would let me come back here for summer and holiday breaks," Harry explained, happy that Fenrir seemed much more calm and logical once Harry confirmed that he wanted to be part of the pack.

Fenrir leaned against a nearby tree.

"That would be an fine idea if the situation were different, but I can not allow that. If you choose to become a werewolf you must stay here within the pack."

Harry looked down regretfully, he had hoped Fenrir _might_ agree, or at least think about it. "Why can't you allow it?"

Fenrir regarded Harry quizzically.

"I don't think you realize how poorly werewolves are treated by wizards. They murdered our children in the war years ago and blame us when we are forced to change humans to continue. If werewolves try to live among them we are scorned and abused at the least. I would not put you through that. If you decide to return to the wizards it will be without your fully revealed werewolf heritage. At least you would have a chance with them then."

"Remus didn't have it _that_ bad," Harry replied before he realized it might not be such a good idea to mention Remus in Fenrir's presence again if he could help it. Luckily, Fenrir seemed to be able to control his anger better this time.

"_Remus _hid and poisoned his gift as much as possible. Besides, I was told that not many wizards knew what Remus was anyway. That might account for his comparatively high position in the wizarding world."

"Actually, he had to quit teaching after everyone found out he was a werewolf, they thought he would be a danger to their children," Harry remembered regretfully.

"If he lived as a werewolf he wouldn't have been a danger to anyone. But that is irrelevant. It only serves to show you how difficult it is to live in wizarding society as a werewolf."

Harry kicked a stone angrily before looking up once more.

"Well…couldn't I not let them know I was a werewolf? That would work, then I could finish school and still be a part of this family here. And you wouldn't have to worry about me being mistreated or anything."

"That would be almost impossible to accomplish without taking that wolfsbane poison immediately after becoming a werewolf-"

"But Remus did it-"

"With that Poison! Which you will not take under Any circumstances if I have anything to do with it," Fenrir added angrily.

Harry sighed. "I could do it without the wolfsbane potion," Harry reiterated determinedly.

"I told you, it would be near impossible."

"I can do near impossible things sometimes. What would make it so bad anyway? As long as I am away from them during the full moon, everything will be fine."

Fenrir smirked knowingly. "Harry, if you become a werewolf, you will not become one only during the full moon. You will be a werewolf all the time, an entirely different species. You will no longer be _human_."

"What do you mean? I thought I would only be stronger and things such as that. What other changes would there be? Why didn't you mention this before?" Harry asked accusingly.

"If you lived here within the pack, the other changes would be minimal, unnoticeable. But a life among wizards opens you up to many things that would be harmful to werewolves, things that may cause adverse effects to you. Also, you would not be with your pack, it would be very…uncomfortable for you to be away from them for long. Werewolves were not meant to be away from their own kind for long periods of time."

"But you know these things, you can anticipate these problems and help me to avoid them," Harry pointed out.

Fenrir sighed, and shook his head. "I don't want you to go back to that school as a werewolf. If you really wish to become a werewolf you will stay here safe with me, with your pack as it was meant to be," Fenrir stated with finality.

"Fine," Harry replied irritably as he kicked the ground with his sneaker once more. Harry was angry, not so much with Fenrir but with the wizards whose actions made Fenrir so reluctant to let him continue school as a werewolf. Harry sighed regretfully.

"Alright, I understand. If-if things had been different, well I would have been happy to be a part of this family here. But as it is, I have to go back," Harry admitted despondently. Harry quickly turned around. If he was going to leave he wanted to do so as soon as possible. Harry knew that if he stayed any longer he would decide to stay no matter what. And if he did that Harry also knew he would never forgive himself.

As Harry walked away, Fenrir was also having an inner battle within himself. Fenrir could simply let Harry go to continue his schooling as the boy wished. It would probably be the easiest solution considering the fact that Harry wanted to continue at least a part of his life in the wizarding world. But Fenrir couldn't forget the fact that Harry wanted to be a part of the pack as well. Fenrir could initiate Harry into his pack and no one could say that Harry didn't choose that path.

But could Fenrir do that while knowing that he would be shortly sending the boy back to the very people that had hunted their species to near extinction?

Harry would not be without protection though, Fenrir reminded himself. First of all no one would know that Harry was changed and would treat him no differently than before. And second of all, Fenrir could watch over him. Fenrir's protection usually yielded positive results…

Fenrir shook his head. No, no matter what he did, it would still be almost impossible to pull off.

But the truth of the matter really came down to the fact that no matter how much Fenrir hated the idea of Harry returning to school as a werewolf, he hated the idea of Harry leaving forever more. And if this is what Harry really wanted…well Fenrir found it hard to deny him anything.

"It will be difficult," Fenrir called out before he could stop himself. "But…if it really means that much to you I will allow this."

Harry stopped in his tracks. "You've changed your mind?" Harry asked uncertainly. Fenrir didn't seem the sort of person to waver between options.

"In this case I have. Don't expect it often," Fenrir added gruffly.

"Alright," Harry replied, smiling.

"But!" Fenrir continued. "If you do this, you will follow any orders I give you. And if I so much as suspect that those wizards wish you harm, you will come back here, understand?"

Harry nodded eagerly.

"Now, we're going to the meeting room. We have much to discuss," Fenrir replied as he set off down the trail with Harry by his side.

--

Fenrir sat down heavily upon his chair at the back of the meeting room. Harry sat down on the other side of the table, he had forgotten how surprisingly comfortable the stump like chairs of Fenrir's home were.

Fenrir leaned forward as he steepled his fingers in thought. "First of all you need to explain how and when you left the wizards. You mentioned it beforehand but not in detail," Fenrir began.

Harry nodded and told Fenrir all that had happened since they had last met. It didn't take as long as Harry had thought it would. Despite Fenrir's hatred of the wizarding world, he seemed to understand their society surprisingly well. As Harry finished his story, Fenrir shook his head in disbelief.

"And you want to return to these people? They left you with kin that hardly care for you and they have put you in dangerous situations all throughout your life. And then when you try to protect yourself the ministry comes and tries to break you wand!"

"That wasn't their fault, the ministry is just being thick headed right now. I'm sure if I find Dumbledore first my wand won't be broken and I'll be allowed back into school," Harry reassured.

Fenrir ran his hands through his hair in contemplation. "Well if this is what you really want…Alright. So how many days do you think the wizards will believe you made it out on your own?"  
"Well…I left yesterday so that is one day…I could probably plausibly go on about three more days on my own. Any longer than that and they would think I got help from someone else or have been caught be Voldemort."

"So that leaves us today and two days afterwards. At least that will explain your absence, you can say that you were traveling the muggle way to Hogwarts."

Harry nodded. "That makes sense. So what are we going to do for the next two days? It takes that long to become a werewolf?"

"For a human or a wizard the bite may take a day or so to manifest. Also the wound may cause some problems for them as well. However, with you I assume that the time will be much less and cause less problems. But to answer your question, the two days will be used for your training."

"Training?" Harry asked.

"Yes, were you to remain here, it would be unnecessary. You would have picked up these lessons just by living among us. However, since you are so adamant about returning to your school, I must teach you the basics of these lessons in the span of two days."

Harry started to feel guilty for making Fenrir do these things. There were probably much more important things for the leader of the pack to be doing.

"I'm sorry. When I asked this I didn't realize it would be so much work for you."

"Do not worry. It is my duty to teach you a werewolf's way of life anyway. The fact that I must try to do so in such a short time is a relatively small matter. I am honored that you would decide to become a member of my pack in any case." Fenrir smiled. "Besides, you will be the one doing most of the work, you have no reason to be sorry."

Harry smiled in return. "Alright, thanks. So what will I be learning?"

"In those two days I will try to teach you the fundamentals of our language so you can start performing lycan magic and also how to avoid detection among wizards. You will return here during the night to continue your lessons and be with the pack,"

"When am I supposed to sleep?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Werewolves do not sleep much, didn't you ever notice?" Fenrir asked.

Harry thought back. He remembered that he usually fell asleep before they did and whenever he woke most of them were already awake. But Harry had never really realized how little they slept. Harry shook his head sheepishly.

Fenrir smirked. "No matter, the fact remains that healthy werewolves need very little sleep. We usually feel most tired during the early morning as the moon fades from the sky," Fenrir explained.

Harry nodded his understanding before thinking of another question. "But how will I sneak out every night?"

"Oh I'm sure you'll figure out something, you didn't seem to have a problem trying your first night here," Fenrir reminded lightheartedly.

"I thought you had kidnapped me," Harry protested.

"Yes, I was foolish to think that you would be content with being told, 'you belong here' and have it left at that. But do not worry about escaping the wizards. I will be waiting for you to accompany you back here and I will understand if you are unable to make it _every_ day."

Harry nodded once more. "So what is next?"

"You need to see Catherine," Fenrir informed.

"Catherine? I thought you would be changing me?" Harry asked.

"I will, however she is the one in charge of all new initiates. She explains the ceremonies and what you must do."

"A ceremony? Couldn't you simply change me, why do we need a ceremony?"

"The ceremony is based upon a welcoming rite that our kind used to perform upon newborn children. In these times we have changed it to suit our needs. Besides, we must wait until moonrise in any case."

"Why's that? Can you only change into a werewolf at night?"

Fenrir shook his head. "I can do so at any time as will you, although I have been told by others that it is easier to do so at night. But the reason why we are waiting until nightfall is simply because I think the moon would like to be there."

"You want…the moon to be there?" Harry repeated hollowly.

"Yes, she likes to be included."

Harry shook his head with a small smile upon his face. "So, werewolves worship the moon too?"

Fenrir shook his head. "No, not like you mean. We…respect her. She gave us our magic in the our myths," Fenrir answered with a faraway look in his eye. Harry was vaguely reminded of the centaurs as they talked of mars.

Fenrir blinked and focused upon Harry once more. "There will be time later on for me to tell you all of our myths. Perhaps you will be able to read them for yourself as well, once you learn our language of course."

Harry nodded, he was looking forward to that.

"I will not keep you longer though, time is of the essence. Go to her and tell her you would like to be prepared for the Recarnom ceremony. I will see you later tonight."

Harry nodded and headed out excitedly to find Catherine.

--

It took Harry longer than he thought. Every few steps he was stopped by people and engaged in conversation.

By the time he finally found Catherine in the middle of the main clearing, supervising the day's activities, he had a small group of people following.

Harry walked up to Catherine tentatively. It was common knowledge that she did not take kindly to those that interrupted her needlessly.

Harry cleared his throat. "Um…Catherine?" Harry began.

Catherine turned around a moment later. She didn't look surprised to see Harry there like everyone else had.

"What is it, Harry?" She asked officially.

"Well…I was wondering if you could help to prepare me for the Recarnom ceremony?" Catherine didn't make any sort reaction, but suddenly the sound around Harry was deafening. All of the people around, besides Catherine, started clapping and laughing, even hollering in John and Karl's case.

"Quiet, everyone," Catherine demanded. Suddenly the clearing was silent once more.

"You've spoken with Fenrir I assume then?" Catherine asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, he said to come and ask you about performing the ceremony."

Catherine brushed off her hands before speaking.

"Very well then, lets get started. We have much to do if we want to get you ready before the ceremony at night fall."

Catherine turned around and started shouting orders to several different people in the werewolf language that Harry could not yet understand. A moment later she took Harry's shoulder and guided him to the bathing house.

Catherine ordered out several people who were washing clothes before leading Harry forward. They soon came to the next room filled with a long row of showers and two pools of water, one large one and a smaller one on the side. It took several minutes for Catherine to forcefully push out several of the children there who wanted very much to stay with Harry now that they knew he was back.

Eventually though they had all gone, leaving Harry and Catherine alone.

"Alright then, strip," Catherine ordered before she turned around towards the cabinet at the far end of the room which was filled with various bath soaps and a stack of towels.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Strip, you're going to take a bath. I assume you've had one before?" Catherine asked without turning around.

"Well yea, I've taken showers here and a bath back at Hogwarts sometimes," Harry answered.

"Then you know how the procedure works. You undress, get in the water, wash yourself, simple," Catherine replied, still tinkling with the many bottles.

"With you here?" Harry asked.

"Found it," Catherine pronounced with confidence as she turned around to pour the light green liquid into the smaller bath. "Yes, with me here. I must ensure that you are properly cleansed. The bathing is part of the purification ritual that proceeds the Recarnom ceremony. I'll turn around if you wish while you undress," Catherine reassured.

Harry nodded uncertainly before Catherine turned around. Making sure that Catherine was still facing away from him, Harry quickly undressed and pulled off his shirt and socks before hopping into the now green bath. Harry was happy to see that the water was no longer transparent at least.

"Alright, I'm in," Harry called. Catherine turned around and nodded approvingly.

"Make sure to submerse your head as well."

Harry quickly did so.

"Anything else I'm supposed to specifically do?" Harry asked.

"No, the water will clean you itself, just stay in the water for the next ten minutes or so. I'll back soon," Catherine replied as she grabbed Harry's clothes and left the room.

--

Catherine walked quickly to the meeting room.

"I have Harry's clothes my lord," Catherine informed.

"Leave them on the table there, they are not to be harmed," Fenrir ordered listlessly.

"But my lord, the ritual burning-"

"Will not take place. Harry needs his old clothes when he returns to his school in two days."

"He's leaving?" Catherine asked, clearly surprised.

"Yes, he wants to finish his schooling," Fenrir replied.

"And you're letting him leave to do so?" Catherine asked incredulously. Fenrir glared sternly at Catherine. She was probably the only one in the pack that could get away with questioning Fenrir so blatantly and she took the opportunity often. It often annoyed Fenrir but he had come to appreciate her concern over the years.

"He has valid reasons for wanting to do so. I can not deny this of him."

Catherine only nodded in return, unsure how to respond.

"When will Harry be finished in the bathing house?" Fenrir asked.

"In about half an hour or so, I would say. You may use it then."

Fenrir nodded, a clear dismissal but Catherine delayed. She had hardly ever seen Fenrir look so worried in all the time that she had known him.

"Are you all right, my lord?" Catherine asked concernedly.

Fenrir smirked ruefully. "I'm fine actually, content even…but more worried than I have been in a very long time."

--

Harry was very happy that he had not placed his glasses with his clothes, or else Catherine probably would have taken them as well.

As it was, Harry was able to put his glasses back on after dunking into the green water several times and look around the bathing room in peace.

He liked the bathing room, it was always warm and usually filled with steam from the many faucets that were made of a white rock like material. If asked, Harry would say it looked like marble, but he was no expert in geology and could have been wrong. The tubs were also lined with the white rock material and complimented the wood floors that surrounded them nicely.

Harry vaguely wondered if there were as many different types of bathing soap bubbles in the bathing house as there were in Hogwarts. Before Harry could decide, the doors opened once more.

Catherine walked in quickly, still carrying a bundle of clothes but they looked nothing like the ones that Harry previously had on.

Catherine deposited the clothes on a nearby table before grabbing a towel from another side cabinet and tossing it in Harry's direction.

"Get out and dry quickly. We have to get you dressed," Catherine ordered.

"In that?" Harry asked, gesturing to the new bundle of clothes.

"Yes, yes," Catherine informed once more as she started unfolding Harry's new clothes.

While her back was turned, Harry quickly climbed out of the bath and wrapped himself in the large fluffy towel.

"Alright come here," Catherine ordered.

Harry waddled over to Catherine a bit apprehensively.

Catherine handed Harry a pair of simple drawstring pants and a pair of shoes.

"First put these on and then come back out here and I'll help you with the second garment."

Harry nodded and took the pants and shoes, happy to get some type of clothing once more. Harry hurriedly walked into the nearest shower stall and closed the wooden door before dropping his towel and putting on his newest articles of clothing. The pants were long and simple, but very soft and Harry didn't mind wearing them in the slightest. The shoes were simple as well and resembled sleek slippers more than actual shoes. Harry found them extremely comfortable in any case.

However, he didn't have time to admire them long before Catherine would start getting impatient.

Harry stepped out of the stall and stood before Catherine once more, crossing his arms over his bare chest uncomfortably.

Catherine didn't seemed to notice though and promptly pushed the second garment over Harry's head.

The top garment was much more complicated than Harry originally thought. Unlike the pants, the shirt seemed to have many different holes and draped in odd directions. Harry was sufficiently sure that he wouldn't have been able to get the shirt on properly if left on his own.

Several minutes later Catherine proudly presented Harry in front of a nearby mirror.

"Like it?" Catherine asked.

Harry stared in awe at his new outfit. He had never been one for fashion, but Harry knew that what he was wearing was indeed special. The shirt was fitted but very long. The way it was draped made it appear more like a toga with sleeves than a simple shirt. The dark green color reminded him of the forest and matched his eyes well.

"It's beautiful," Harry replied simply, at a loss for any more words.

"I'm glad you like it," Catherine replied. "This is your first garment made in our traditional style after all. Of course, this is just your formal robe. You will certainly have others for different occasions."

Harry nodded numbly. He hadn't expected to be given a whole new wardrobe. Even though it was such a simple thing, it made him feel more welcomed than he had ever felt anywhere else.

--

Harry sat contently at his place once more in the dinning hall, still dressed in his formal robes while he wondered what was next in the Recarnom ceremony.

Catherine returned shortly with a large tray. Harry looked up expectantly and was happy to see that it was filled with food.

Catherine placed the tray upon the table.

"You may eat however much you wish. However, I suggest that you try a bit of everything."

Harry looked down at the tray, it was filled with an assortment of fruit and sweets. Trying a bit of everything would hardly be any chore.

"I'll certainly do that," Harry stated. "But is this part of the ceremony or simply an unusual lunch?"

"This is not technically any part of the ceremony, but we usually set out such a meal for new initiates."

"Why is that?" Harry asked after swallowing a mouthful of strawberry.

"Because you will not eat these foods very often after you have been changed. Fruits such as these," Catherine pointed to the strawberries, red apples, and grapes, "will cause you harm if you eat too many of them. And sweet foods such as these," Catherine pointed to the chocolate bars and jelly beans, "will no longer taste as pleasantly as they most likely taste to you now."

Harry nodded understandingly even if he couldn't yet imagine a world where he no longer enjoyed sweets.

--

After Harry was finished, Catherine returned to take his tray away.

"What's next?" Harry asked eagerly. There was only about an hour or so left until night fall.

"I shall show you," Catherine answered.

Harry obediently followed Catherine but was a bit perplexed when she led him away from the main clearing once more and through the woods.

Catherine stopped shortly thereafter in another one of the forest's numerous clearings. Harry stopped as well, wondering what would happen next. There was no one else around and the only thing that could be heard were the many vague sounds that the forest creatures made.

"You will remain here until all of the sun's light has disappeared from the sky," Catherine ordered. "Only then may you return, if you still wish to do so."

"What am I to do until then?" Harry asked.

"Reflect. Make sure that this is truly what you desire," Catherine answered simply.

Harry nodded although he was pretty sure that he had made the right decision already.

Catherine suddenly placed her hand reassuringly upon Harry's shoulder in an unexpected moment of gentleness.

"Be sure, Harry. Once you become one of us fully there is no turning back, no reverting, no 'antidote'. You will be a werewolf for the rest of your life."

"Do you think I am making the wrong decision?" Harry asked concernedly.

"No, I am simply warning you. I would rather you denied us now than regret your decision later."

Harry nodded understandingly.

"Well, whichever decision you make, know that I am pleased to have met you, Harry Potter," Catherine replied politely before she turned to leave the clearing.

Harry breathed the cooling air deeply as he looked up into the sky which was slowly turning a vibrant shade of light red.

Harry shrugged as he sat heavily beneath a nearby tree. Placing his head determinedly in his palm, Harry decided that he would take Catherine's advice seriously. After all, he was known for making spur of the moment decisions.

Perhaps he would do well to think this important one through once more. So Harry did what he usually did when trying to make an intelligent decision: he tried to think what Hermione would do. A moment later Harry started laughing quietly to himself.

Harry wasn't sure of much, but he was sure that Hermione would never agree with what he was intending to do.

His desire to be a part of the werewolves wasn't based on logic or facts. Just the simple feeling of belonging. That would never be enough for rational people like Hermione. Even Ron, who was decidedly less logical that Hermione would have a hard time going on Harry's simple feeling.

Harry knew that everyone else that he knew in the wizarding world would probably agree with them that becoming a werewolf was a bad idea no matter what. However, even taking that into consideration, Harry found himself still drawn to the idea.

In his mind, Harry knew that becoming a werewolf was the best decision for him. It gave him what he always wanted and desired, a family that was truly his. It gave him a future outside of Voldemort, if he survived in any case. Whether that future was being with Fenrir or becoming a scout, or perhaps just helping out around the pack, Harry didn't know yet. But that did not bother him, he knew he was setting off in the right direction and that he would be happiest as a full werewolf.

Perhaps, Harry thought fleeting, that that was why he always felt at least a little uncomfortable with muggles and wizards. He never was really one of them. He would have to pretend to be though, Harry knew. For the next three years, or until Voldemort was defeated at least. But until that time came, Harry would do his best to learn everything that Hogwarts and Fenrir could teach him.

His mind made up, Harry looked up towards the sky and was surprised to see that the sun had indeed set.

Harry stood up confidently and walked excitedly towards the main clearing. When he arrived, Harry was a little surprised to see the whole pack waiting in a circle around the clearing.

They were all dressed in the formal attire but other than that, looked the same as before. Harry was happy to see that they all smiled upon his arrival.

Harry looked questioningly to Catherine who stood in the center of the circle along with Fenrir.

"Come here Harry," Catherine called.

Harry walked towards them quickly and stopped before Fenrir and Catherine.

"Is it truly your desire to join our pack and become a fellow werewolf?" Catherine asked clearly and loudly enough for all to hear.

"It is," Harry answered without hesitation.

"Does anyone have any objection to this newest member?" Catherine asked the crowd.

Harry held his breath automatically.

A moment passed and no one spoke.

"Then let us welcome him."

Everyone turned to form a line to Harry. One after another, Harry was welcomed with many open arms. Some very enthusiastically did so, like John and Karl. And many of the children insisted on jumping into Harry's arms, but Harry did not mind. Harry was a bit surprised when Catherine hugged him firmly as well.

Harry turned to the last member of pack. Fenrir smiled fondly before embracing Harry as well.

"Welcome little one," Fenrir whispered proudly.

Harry smiled back, suddenly very sure that he had made the right decision.

A moment later everyone that made up the circle began filling in towards the dining hall.

"Where are they going?" Harry asked curiously.

"They are going to the dining hall to have a celebration in your honor," Catherine replied.

"Are you ready Harry?" Fenrir asked. At Harry's nod, Fenrir stepped backwards and turned into his werewolf form.

Harry stared disbelievingly. He had never seen a transformation performed so naturally and flawlessly. Remus' transformation had looked so painful and forced while his godfather's transformation was always veiled thickly with magic.

The werewolf stepped forward and Harry patted its head awkwardly, unsure if he was still allowed to do so. Catherine didn't stop him though and Fenrir didn't seem to mind in the least.

After a moment Catherine instructed Harry to kneel. Harry did so, now eye to eye with the large wolf. Harry smiled as he noted that the wolf's eyes were the same color as Fenrir's.

Harry suddenly felt Catherine's hands at his throat as she flipped down the thick collar of his shirt.

"Now, bend your head down, Harry," Catherine instructed. Harry did so a bit tensely. Even though he knew it was only Fenrir, it wasn't everyday that you exposed the back of your neck to a werewolf.

Before Harry could begin to start rethinking his decision in earnest, he felt hot breath behind him.

"You're doing fine, Harry," Catherine spoke reassuringly.

But then Harry couldn't hear anything else anymore as his whole being was focused upon the piercing sensation in the back of his neck. The sensation was painful, no doubt, and caused tears to spring in Harry's eyes. However, it paled in comparison to the cruciatus curse for which Harry was grateful.

After several moments the pain eased and the wolf's jaws released Harry. Harry fell over to the ground gratefully. He was suddenly very tired.

Harry felt the wolf's snout nuzzle him concernedly before licking his face. Harry would have laughed if he had had the energy. Harry's eyes closed of their own volition as he fell into unconsciousness.

"You're smothering him, Fenrir. He's fine," Catherine assured as she maneuvered Harry into a sitting position. "Now do you want to take him to the sleeping den or shall I?" Catherine asked.

Fenrir immediately transformed out of his werewolf form. "Give him to me," Fenrir ordered.

"That's what I thought," Catherine answered as she moved aside. Fenrir picked Harry up gently.

"Now be careful with him, he'll need a good night's rest," Catherine reminded.

"I think I know how to take care of a werewolf cub. And have done so many times in the past," Fenrir replied.

"Yes, but never one who you have…felt so strongly for-"

"You know I would never behave inappropriately towards him, he is still a cub," Fenrir scolded.

"I know. I am only assuring my own certainty."

"Is your certainly adequately assured?" Fenrir asked reprovingly.

"For now," Catherine answered with a small smirk on her face to show that she was jesting.

Just realizing this, Fenrir glared mockingly at his long time friend.

"Go enjoy the celebration," Fenrir ordered. "And don't let them stay up past sunrise again, we have to go hunting tomorrow," Fenrir reminded.

"I won't," Catherine replied before turning to go. Fenrir nodded gratefully and turned to enter the sleeping den with his newest and most cherished of pack members.

--

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Any feedback is welcome!


	14. New Preparations

-1Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: I apologize for the long wait, I was out of the country for a bit but am back now and hope to update regularly from now on.

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Contrary to popular belief, the werewolf bite itself did not cause one to transform into a werewolf.

It was the saliva that carried that particular ability. However, being bitten was the most effective and efficient method of delivering the saliva into an initiate's blood stream, especially if one was bitten near a large artery.

Fenrir knew this and that was why Harry and all initiates before him were bitten on the neck. Fenrir had seen in some cases in which a muggle or wizard was bitten on the arm or leg. The transformation took much longer in that case and was a very difficult process.

Fenrir had little worry about Harry's transformation though. He knew that the boy's body would welcome the change, unlike some others.

If a wizard or a muggle did not want to be transformed the process usually took much longer. Fenrir winced as he remembered how long Remus was unconscious for as he fought the foreign magic entering his veins.

Fenrir looked down at Harry sleeping easily on the piles of fur throws before him. The calm boy looked nothing as Remus did after Fenrir bit him. Fenrir remembered clearly how Remus thrashed most of the night fighting off invisible foes. It was a horrifying experience watching his longtime friend in such pain and suffering. Now, looking down on Harry breathing softly, Fenrir was very glad that he had waited until transforming the boy.

Harry suddenly turned slightly into his blankets and let out a small whimper of pain. Fenrir immediately reached out to card his fingers through Harry's hair comfortingly. Even though no clearly visible sings would register, Fenrir knew that Harry's body was going through many changes. This was of course painful, but Fenrir was grateful that it would be less so than if Harry was fully a wizard.

A moment later Harry calmed once more, but Fenrir continued stroking the boy's head absentmindedly.

Harry unconsciously inclined his face towards Fenrir's warm hand and nuzzled it slightly, letting out a small sigh of contentment.

Fenrir felt his heart stop as he turned to look down on Harry practically purring into his hand. Of its own accord, Fenrir's hand began inching down to stroke Harry's inviting neck. Before it could make contact, Fenrir snatched his hand back and inwardly cursed himself for his moment of weakness.

Had he not only moments ago assured Catherine of his ability to control himself? Fenrir knew it would be much more difficult to control himself around the boy once he was turned into a werewolf, but to feel such feelings around the sleeping pup was just ridiculous!

Feeling frustrated with himself, Fenrir rose and stalked several steps away in order to watch over Harry from afar, hoping that the distance would clear his mind a little.

He knew that if he was unable to control himself even now, in this relatively calm situation, he would no doubt revert to his baser instincts after the first sign of stress. And in that case, Fenrir knew he would have to give up mentorship of the boy since he in no way wanted to go against the laws and traditions that his own revered ancestors had established.

The thought of someone else mentoring Harry did not sit well with Fenrir either though. He simply didn't trust anyone else to do as well a job at protecting and teaching the boy as he could.

But of course he would be able to restrain himself, Fenrir reminded himself confidently as he tried to banish his pessimistic thoughts. He only needed to remain attentive to his actions. Even if mating with the boy was not against his pack's laws, Fenrir knew that the last thing Harry needed or wanted at this point was his amorous attention.

Harry was going through a trying time and would need companionship and understanding.

At that moment Fenrir swore to himself that he would provide those things to Harry. Fenrir knew that Harry would appreciate his consideration.

And in time Fenrir hoped that that appreciation and their promising friendship would grow into something more.

Such hopes were unlikely though, Fenrir knew, especially if Harry were to return to the wizards. But there was nothing to be done about that now. Fenrir was not about to go back on his word just as Harry was beginning to trust him once more. He would just have to do his utmost to keep Harry safe and let the rest fall into place. It would be a demanding situation, but Fenrir felt that he was up to the challenge.

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Harry turned over groggily in his blankets, as he tried to recall his many odd dreams from the night before.

A moment later, Harry shook his head in disappointment; the images were too disjointed to make any sort of sense.

Accepting this, Harry laid his head back down contentedly and breathed deeply. Harry unconsciously frowned, something felt different. Not bad, but very foreign to what he was used to. And then Harry realized particularly what was different.

It was somehow…_easier_ to breath. Harry couldn't describe the situation any better to himself than he could to anyone else. For how could breathing be easier when it was never any chore in the first place? But that was what it felt like. Harry took another experimental breath, his eyes still closed. And it happened again. The air just seemed to flow into his lungs and then…leave itself.

Now, that he thought about it, Harry realized he could feel the air surrounding himself as well, as if it were a separate entity holding him protectively.

If he were more awake, Harry might have bothered to be concerned at the origin of such odd thoughts.

"Harry, are you awake?" Fenrir asked quietly. Harry had been sleeping all through the night and Fenrir would start becoming worried if the boy did not awake soon. His fears were put to rest though when Harry responded a moment later.

"I'm awake," Harry replied a bit sleepily. "Talk again," Harry asked as he sat up. For a moment there it seemed to Harry that he could hear the sound around him move, and he wanted to hear something once more to be sure.

"What?" Fenrir asked. But Harry was clearly not listening. The moment that Harry opened his eyes, his mind had been bombarded with images of such detail that even a person with perfect vision would be jealous of.

Harry turned to look around the sleeping den as if he had never seen it before. Touching his face, Harry realized that he was no longer wearing his glasses either.

"This is…unbelievable," Harry whispered in awe.

"Most new werewolves think so," Fenrir agreed, a small smirk on his face as he watched Harry's wide-eyed expression.

When Fenrir replied that time, Harry could clearly hear the word's seeming movement from Fenrir's mouth to the air between them. It was an odd sensation, when combined with Harry's new sight it was almost overwhelming. But in a good way, Harry added mentally, a sudden feeling of joy overcoming him.

Harry leapt at Fenrir, intending only to hug the older man and was surprised when he easily knocked Fenrir to the ground. Fenrir's back hit the solid wood floor with sharp thud.

Harry stood up quickly with a worried expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-"

Fenrir waved him of and easily returned to his seated position with an amused expression on his face. When Harry saw he hadn't done any harm, he broke into a wide grin.

"I knocked you down," Harry taunted jokingly.

"You caught me unawares," Fenrir explained. "It is not likely to happen again," Fenrir added with a haughty tone.

"We'll see," Harry replied in a singsong voice.

Fenrir only shook his head bemusedly at Harry's antics. "Come, we have much to do and little time to do it in," Fenrir reminded.

Harry nodded understandingly, actually looking forward to training with Fenrir.

Fenrir first led Harry to the dining hall. Of course, that short trip took longer than necessary considering how many times Harry was stopped along the way and congratulated.

But eventually Harry was able to make it to the dining hall and have a good breakfast. Harry was extraordinarily hungry and ended up eating several bowls of hearty meat stew for lunch. However Fenrir had said that such an appetite was normal for a newly turned werewolf so Harry didn't concern himself with that fact.

The meal ended soon afterwards, leaving Harry a little time to wash up for his day before Fenrir led him to the main clearing.

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"Alright, first lesson," Fenrir began authoritatively.

Harry looked up, making sure to pay special attention to everything that was said.

"Your first lesson at first seems quite obvious, but is actually relatively difficult to get the hang of."

Harry watched curiously as Fenrir picked up a non descriptive leather bag by his side and placed it between them.

"Pick up the bag if you would," Fenrir continued.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and picked up the bag by its thick straps. It was heavy, there was no doubt, but nothing in the extreme. Harry looked up at Fenrir curiously once more, wondering if this first lesson was really a strength test.

Fenrir only nodded as if he knew that Harry would easily be able to pick up the bag. "Good, now how much do you think that bag weighs?" Fenrir asked.

Harry shook his head, he really had no idea.

"That is no matter, the point is, this bag weighs more than most wizards or muggles could easily lift. While you are with wizards you need to keep this lesson in mind at all times. Be constantly aware of how your body is moving and what it is moving. As a werewolf, you will have a tendency to move faster when you are in a hurry, and use more strength than necessary in stressful situations. That is natural, and if you were to act in such a way here it would be unnoticeable. However, if you live with wizards you will have to continuously keep in mind the limitations of their physical forms and duplicate it," Fenrir lectured.

Harry put the bag he just realized he was still holding back to the ground. "That sounds complicated."

Fenrir nodded in agreement. "It is a bit difficult to get the hang of but it will come to you naturally soon enough."

Within an hour Harry came to have a good understanding of what and how much he should be able to lift and move as an average wizard.

"Good," Fenrir congratulated, "Next lesson."

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"You have your wand?" Fenrir asked.

Harry nodded and brought his wand out, a little surprised that they would be working with it.

"Perform a simple spell, do not worry the ministry will not be able to detect it here," Fenrir reassured.

Looking around for a moment, Harry spotted a leaf nearby and promptly levitated it. Harry was happy to discover that his magic still worked the same way as before.

After the leaf floated back down, Harry looked to Fenrir.

"Good, now explain exactly how you accomplished that."

Still unsure as to the point of this exercise, Harry nonetheless did his best to explain.

"Well…I focused on the leaf, said the incantation, and performed the correct wand movement."

Fenrir nodded once more. "That same method is used for all wizarding magic. In higher levels some wizards learn to perform spells nonverbally but the process is still basically the same. However, the magic that is available to werewolves is quite different."

Harry nodded in understanding.

"First of all, do you know where your magic comes from as a wizard, Harry?" Fenrir asked.

Harry opened his mouth and was surprised when the answer didn't immediately jump to the forefront of his mind. Somehow, after four years of magical training as a wizard, he had yet to discover where it was exactly that his power came from.

Fenrir didn't seem surprised when Harry didn't answer and simply continued.

"You have a magical core, as do all other wizards you know. Some are greater and more powerful than others, and some have matured with age, each is different. A wizard takes this innate power of theirs and then manipulates it and controls it with outside forces, such as a wand or staff."

"How do werewolves perform magic then? Do werewolves have magical cores too?" Harry asked curiously, a bit surprised that Fenrir knew so much about magic.

"No, werewolves do not have magical cores per say, but we have access to the magic around us and it is that power that we draw from when we perform magic. Would you like to try?" Fenrir asked.

Harry shook his head enthusiastically.

"Alright then, we will start with setting some kindling on fire. That is a good place to start and one of the easiest tasks to perform."

Harry readily agreed. He had seen others do exactly this on numerous previous occasions and was always curious as to how they created fire so simply.

Harry walked confidently up to the small pile of dead dry leaves beside Fenrir.

"What is your word for fire?" Harry asked.

"It is 'kir', however knowing the word is unnecessary. Natural magical is not bound by words but by intent. You must simply will the wood to burn."

At first Harry felt a jolt of elation at the thought of not having to memorize any incantations for this particular form of magic. But after mentally telling the pile of kindling to burn for several moments, with no reaction, Harry felt lost.

"So what is it that I am specifically supposed to do again?" Harry asked.

"Well what are you doing now?"

"Telling the wood to burn, what else?" Harry replied confusedly.

"I see your problem," Fenrir replied before thinking a moment. "When I said will the wood to burn, I meant that you should desire that outcome, to request it of the kindling. You cannot use force with natural magic as is the basis of wizarding magic."

"So I…_ask_…the twigs to burn?" Harry asked hollowly. He had never heard of such a thing as this.

"I suppose you could put it that way," Fenrir replied easily, not understanding Harry's apparent confusion.

"That is it?" Harry asked, disbelief clear in his tone.

Fenrir nodded.

"Alright," Harry sighed before turning to the pile of twigs once more. Knowing that he was about to look like a complete idiot, Harry opened his mouth to speak.

"Um…If you wouldn't mind…I was wondering if you twigs could perhaps burn…," Harry trailed off.

And so it was with a great amount of surprise that Harry watched as the pile of twigs before him burst into flame.

Fenrir smiled proudly as Harry grinned happily. Harry had only ever noticed it with complex spells, but every time he used magic with his wand a small bit of his own energy was used. But with this natural magic nothing of the sort occurred. The energy seemed to come from around them.

Harry turned to Fenrir excitedly. "Do you realize how _wonderful_ this is? You can use as much magic as you want and never get tired and never have to memorize any spells or anything such as that-"

"Yes, Harry, I know," Fenrir interrupted gently, not wanting Harry to get too carried away. "We have a natural affinity with the environment around us. The air, plants, trees, water and fire for instance will all do our bidding, within reason. And it is partly because of this power that werewolves are so greatly feared."

"That is why Voldemort does not attack you directly. Not only because of your strength, but because of these powers," Harry realized.

Fenrir inclined his head slightly. "Yes, he knew I would not use these powers against other werewolves, especially because the majority of them could not perform natural magic such as you and I can. In these abilities, you and I, along with several other werewolves in the world are unique."

Fenrir bent down to grab a handful of ashes that the pile of twigs had become.

"Burning a pile of twigs with a simple request from your lips seems like such a small thing. What if you had asked the whole of the forest to go up in flame, what would happen then?" Fenrir asked as he allowed the ashes to flow through his fingers where they were caught by the wind.

"I-I do not know," Harry answered, suddenly feeling nervous.

"The whole of the forest would burn because it trusts you and your judgment," Fenrir regarded Harry seriously. "Do Not abuse its trust or the consequences will be more than even I can protect you from."

Harry gulped. Natural magic did not sound as fun as had only moments before.

"Do not look so worried, Harry. I am not telling you this to scare you. I am only trying to impress upon you the importance of not using natural magic lightly, for unlike wizarding magic, natural magic's only limit is intent.

The following days passed very quickly for Harry. Between lessons from Fenrir and being reacquainted with his friends, Harry had hardly any time to worry about the trying task before him.

Before he knew it, Harry was standing once again in the Forbidden forest outsides of Hogwarts.

"Are you sure this is the Forbidden forest?" Harry asked curiously as he went up to touch a nearby tree.

"Of course I am sure," Fenrir responded indignantly, unused to being questioned on his knowledge of forests. He was a natural born werewolf; there were few that knew the outdoor terrain better than he did.

"Why do you ask?" Fenrir continued.

"It just feels differently. This forest always somehow…felt different before," Harry answered, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Malevolent somehow, it is difficult to explain."

"Did it feel like you were unwanted here?" Fenrir inquired.

"Yes, now that you mention it," Harry replied.

Fenrir nodded. "I would assume that is how it might feel towards a wizard."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked curiously.

"Did you know that the area in which Hogwarts stands used to be part of the Forbidden forest as well?"

Harry shook his head.

"When the school's founders came here this all used to be forest area. Rowena Ravenclaw first made the suggestion to place the castle on the top of the hill because it made the most logistical sense, in case of an attack upon the fortress. Gryffindor agreed because it was the most majestic spot. Slytherin was neither for nor against the idea, while only Helga Hufflepuff had any objections, seeing as the intended spot was already occupied by ancient trees. Needless to say, it was Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's will that triumphed. They burned much of the forest down and the school was built where it stands today. Unfortunately, the werewolves were too few in number at that time to protect the entirety of the forest. The few of my ancestors that were left were able to imbue the remaining trees with a consciousness that would allow them to protect themselves. When the wizards tried to wipe the rest of the forest out with their fire, the trees fought back. The old tales tell the story of the battle better than I ever could. In the end the trees beat the wizards back and the border lies as it does today. Even though the trees lay silent now, I would assume they still hold their grudges towards wizards," Fenrir finished wistfully.

Harry looked at the trees around him with a new found respect. "I am surprised I have never heard that before. My friend Hermione has read Hogwarts a History multiple times and she has never mentioned it once."

"Whatever she was reading probably did not tell of that particular part of history. Wizards have a short and selective memory," Fenrir added bitterly before turning towards Harry once more. "But that does not matter any longer. You, Harry, are now a true werewolf, this forest holds no grudge towards you. We will meet here each evening and I will return you back to the pack."

Harry nodded in affirmation. He and Fenrir had already discussed their plans for the following months extensively.

"Are you sure you will be able to find me again, even if I do not stay at Hogwarts?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Of course, you are mine. I can find you wherever you may go," Fenrir assured.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief before turning to pick up a handful of dirt and smearing it liberally upon his old torn jeans and face.

Harry smiled as he turned his now messy face towards Fenrir.

"How do I look?"

"Absolutely dashing," Fenrir replied blithely as he reached out to perch the old glasses upon Harry's dirty nose. "I had the frames replaced with plain glass," Fenrir continued.

"Thanks," Harry replied graciously. He would never have remembered so many of the small details without Fenrir's assistance.

Harry tore yet another small whole at the edge of his shirt absentmindedly. Harry knew with certainty that he needed to return to Hogwarts to finish his schooling, but now that the moment was upon him, he was not sure he could go through with it.

Fenrir understood Harry's nerves and placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder. "You keep your wits about you while with the wizards, alright? Remember our plans?"

Harry nodded.

"Then you can do nothing more. Just be careful, or as careful as you can be," Fenrir added with a wry smile.

Harry nodded again. "Thanks Fenrir, for everything." Then after a moment of indecision Harry embraced Fenrir quickly but fiercely. "I _will_ be back here this evening," Harry finished ardently, turning away to begin his trek to Hogwarts before his determination failed him.

Fenrir remained behind for several minutes to listen to Harry's fading footsteps before returning once again to his pack's territory.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sorry once again for the wait. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, any comments are welcome.


	15. Day One

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: Don't hitchhike it's dangerous.

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As Harry walked he was reminded of how uncomfortable his sneakers were. He longed for the cloth shoes his pack wore, or even bare feet would be better.

Clawing at the itchy collar of his shirt, Harry sighed deeply. Increased sensitivity was not as desirable when one had to wear such uncomfortable clothes, Harry decided.

It was only when Harry saw the first traces of sunlight up ahead that he realized how close he was to Hogwarts. It was no time to be worrying about clothes, Harry resolved as he stared out at the clearing ahead.

Steeling his determination, Harry stepped out from the trees, and stopped abruptly. It suddenly felt as if all of the earth's gravity was pushing down upon him. Harry staggered and felt the breath leave his body. After a few moments, Harry stood once more. He tried to take a calming breath as he remembered that Fenrir had warned him of this. As a werewolf his senses would react greater towards wizarding magic than before. In such a place as Hogwarts, he was bound to feel something, Harry rationalized. But when Fenrir had explained this to him, he didn't realize how oppressive the magic weighing down upon him would feel.

Harry shook his head once more, feeling slightly better as the seconds ticked by. When the feeling had dulled to a slight heaviness in his limbs, Harry continued on.

Harry smiled as he saw Hagrid in the distance tending his garden. The burly man lifted his head as he heard Harry approach before a wide smile broke out on his face.

"Is that really you 'arry?" Hagrid asked almost reverently as he stood, wiping his hands on his pants hastily.

"Yes, at least I hope so," Harry replied jokingly, feigning a note of fatigue in his voice.

Hagrid smiled once more and wrapped the boy in a large bear hug. Harry patted Hagrid's shoulder awkwardly, suddenly aware of the acute difference between the feeling of comfort he received when he was around his pack mates and the sudden peculiarity that presented itself with the introduction of Hagrid. At that moment Harry felt an overwhelming instinctive urge to run back to the forest and return to his pack, where he belonged.

As Hagrid released him, Harry shook his head to clear such thoughts. He knew consciously that his feelings were only due to his new werewolf instincts, Fenrir had in fact warned him of such occurrences. However, knowing the facts and experiencing the effects were two very different things, Harry had come to realize.

"It's a very lucky thing you got back here, you know," Hagrid continued as he led Harry to Hogwarts castle.

Harry only nodded as he was concentrating mostly on getting his feet to move forward, the feeling of wizarding magic was bearing down upon him even more the closer he got to the school.

Hagrid pulled out his jangling ring of keys to open a side door behind one of the green houses before ushering Harry quickly inside.

"Don't you worry though, you're safe 'ere now."

Harry nodded once again in response before his heart stopped immediately afterwards. Hagrid had turned left, toward the dungeons.

"Hagrid, where are we going?" Harry asked, hoping beyond hope that Hagrid might have wanted to go the kitchens.

"To see Professor Snape o' course," Hagrid answered.

"What?" Harry almost shouted before stopping himself. "Isn't Dumbledore here?"

"Ah, Dumbledore. No, he is a busy man, very busy. In fact, most of the staff are gone. It is the holidays, you know. No, only me and Professor Snape remain on the school grounds the entire year. Filch too, I suppose, but I never see him 'round, he is a quiet fella though-Ah here we are," Hagrid finished.

Harry stopped in the corridor to see an ominous wooden door.

"Are these Snape's private quarters?" Harry asked, not bothering to hide the note of apprehension in his voice.

"Heavens no. I would be surprised if anyone other than the Headmaster and Professor Snape himself knew where those were. These are his work rooms," Hagrid answered while knocking on the door.

The door silently swung open before Hagrid pushed Harry gently inside. "Now don't forget to come see me sometime, there'll always be a cup of tea waiting."

Harry turned around to thank Hagrid but he was already gone. Which left Harry alone, with Snape. A position he was not fond of even in the best of circumstances.

Steeling his determination, Harry stepped further into the room. He was not surprised that Snape's workroom was as dour looking as the Potion's classroom. The only differences were less worktables. Snape sat at a desk in the back, writing something and had yet to look up.

Harry cleared his throat. "Um Excuse me sir. Hagrid just brought me here and I was wondering if you could tell me where the Headmaster is, I need to get in touch with him. You see when I was back at Privet Drive I-"

"No need to regale me with tales of your heroics once again," Snape began, effectively cutting Harry off.

"I have heard the account numerous times already," Snape continued as he stood and began crossing the room towards Harry. "Just couldn't wait to show off to your cousin. It figures that your one magical feat would go to your head."

"It wasn't like that sir, there were really were dementors there-" Harry protested futilely.

"Enough," Snape commanded. "It is done, now hold still."

Harry watched guardedly as his professor unsheathed his wand.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"I, unlike our grounds keeper, am not one to take the word of every single character to waltz onto Hogwarts' grounds proclaiming to be Harry Potter."

"It happens often?" Harry asked.

"You would be surprised. Don't move," Snape ordered as he placed the tip of his wand on top of Harry's head.

Harry felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water onto him. The wash of magic made him feel queasy.

"Pity," Snape muttered.

"What?" Harry asked worriedly while feeling his legs about to buckle. He grabbed onto a nearby stool to steady himself

"It seems you really are Potter. I am surprised you have made it this far undetected."

Harry nodded. "Well there you have it," Harry replied, trying to keep his face neutral so as not to show how much it was straining him to remain upright.

"What happened to you, you look ill," Snape asked as he tilted Harry's head up to look into the fevered eyes.

Harry wrenched his chin away, effectively making his world tilt. Taking a deep breath, Harry tried to keep his head clear. If he stopped thinking his secret would be known within moments. Harry knew that if Snape suspected something before he was able to build up his tolerance to wizard magic, everything would be lost.

"I never knew you cared Snape, making my parents proud, I'm sure." Harry replied sarcastically with as much venom as he could muster. As intended, Snape snatched his hand away as if Harry were on fire and turned to look away.

"Get out of my sight, go pick up the paper weight on my desk and say, 'twikelle pops'. It is a portkey that will take you to the Headmaster." With that, Snape left the room, slamming the door behind him angrily.

Harry slumped to the floor with relief and tried to catch his breath. He was starting to get used to the feeling of magic that permeated Hogwarts, but when Snape had performed that identity spell upon him, it was too much, too fast. That insult would not go unforgotten, Harry knew, but it bought him time to recover. Harry fervently hoped his sensitivity to wizarding magic would dissipate as soon as possible.

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Harry was surprised to find himself in a one room cottage that vaguely reminded him of Hagrid's own home. The only difference was that the furniture was of a normal size. Fortunately the cottage was not as embedded with wizarding magic as Hogwarts was and Harry found himself breathing easier and he no longer felt as faint. The sound of a bird's wings flapping erratically made Harry jump in surprise. Fawks was sitting upon a perch in the corner with his wings out to their full length as he glared threateningly at Harry.

Harry hurriedly bent down and bared his neck to Fawks as Fenrir had taught him. It was true that as a werewolf Harry was closer to nature and had a measure of control over it. However, in nature there are always the predators and the prey. Fenrir had explained that this balance had existed since the beginning of time and not to be upset when other animals reacted negatively to his presence.

"In their mind," Fenrir had said, "they think you will eat them. If you do not intend to pursue a certain animal, bare your neck as a sign of truce."

He could never see a time when he would want to eat Fawks, but nonetheless Fawks visibly calmed at the sight of Harry's action.

Once finished, Harry hurriedly stood and was grateful to see that Dumbledore was still no where in sight.

Not bothering to reign in his curiosity, Harry wandered outside to see a sandy beach. Just as Harry was contemplating whether or not to go any further, he heard his name being called. Harry turned to see Dumbledore stepping out of his beach hut.

"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore exclaimed happily. "I am so very pleased to see you in one piece."

"Thanks, so where is this place?" Harry asked curiously.

"My vacation home, unfortunately I am not able to spend much time here, but it is a safe meeting place and Fawkes enjoys the sound of the ocean."

Harry nodded understandingly.

"So, Severus told me that Hagrid brought you to him," Dumbledore continued. "How on earth did you make it back to Hogwarts undetected?"

"I hitchhiked, and walked a ways," Harry replied, trying to sound as convincing as he could.

"Hitchhiked?" Dumbledore asked.

"I traveled with muggles, for free," Harry explained.

Dumbledore nodded. "That explains it then," Dumbledore replied, eyeing Harry's torn and dirty clothes. "Neither the ministry nor the Hogwarts staff has the ability to search the muggle world as well as they can the wizarding one."

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to run away. It was just that there really were dementors. And then I knew that the ministry would try to break my wand and I just couldn't let that happen."

"It's alright, Harry. I believe you. I happen to know that your staunch support of the fact that Voldemort has returned did not settle well with the ministry. They most likely sent the dementors to at the very least ensure your expulsion from Hogwarts."

"Why would they do that?" Harry asked.

"You have too much sway with the populous, they want to tarnish your reputation in the public eye, I would assume."

"What will happen now?" Harry asked worriedly. "Will I have to go back to Durselys? Will I be punished?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, Sirius will be able to care for you for the rest of the summer and I have presented evidence of the dementor attack, and although I was unable to link it to the ministry, they have still dropped any charges. You will not be punished."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for that sir."

"It wasn't only myself, you were able to stay out of their custody long enough for me to act. Now why don't we take you back to Sirius, you would like to see him wouldn't you?"

"Yes, very much so," Harry agreed.

As they walked back to the beach hut, Dumbledore placed a fatherly hand upon Harry's shoulder.

Harry tried not to stiffen at the touch but all he could think was how foreign it felt. Even though he had only been away from them for a short while, he missed his family dearly already.

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Voldemort tapped his fingers irritably against the surface of his desk. He had simple goals, the protection of the true wizarding society by any means necessary, with himself appointed dictator of course. Those goals had been on the road to completion 15 years before. Then because he had decided to take the word of a prophecy, he found himself stripped of his physical body. He regretted that choice greatly. At the time it had seemed a simple enough evening activity. He would take out two of the light's greatest supporters and get rid of any chance of the prophecy coming to fruition. But now, after all these years, he couldn't care less about the damned prophecy. Propechy or not, he wanted Potter dead. Voldemort had little doubt that Potter felt the same towards him as well.

Voldemort had killed the boy's family. Of course Potter would want revenge. The best choice that Voldemort had was to get rid of the boy before Potter could do much harm. If Potter was still alone in that damned school, Voldemort would not have worried. Voldemort knew that in a war against the light, he would eventually win. It might take time and planning, but they would eventually fall, and Potter would be killed as well.

But now that the Fenrir had switched sides…Voldemort was not as sure.

If only Fenrir had simply remained on his side, or at least neutral! But the stupid werewolf had went and allied himself with Potter. The best that Voldemort could hope for now was that Fenrir and Potter remained in the forest. Voldemort would not try to take them there, he would not make that same mistake twice. He had lost too many in his fight against Fenrir's pack already. For now, Voldemort would focus on his original goal and not let others distract him. And if the Potter boy did return, he would deal with him then.

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Harry stepped out of the fire place into a dark room. For one horrifying second he thought he had stepped out at the wrong place. But just as that thought crossed his mind,

Harry saw Sirius come towards him as Dumbledore stepped out from the fire place as well.

"You found him," Sirius exclaimed while wrapping his godson in a large huge. Harry winced, bearing another's touch was getting easier but still made him feel uneasy.

"On the contrary," Dumbledore replied. "He found us."

"Really?" Sirius asked, clearly impressed.

Harry nodded in return and showed his wand. "Wand's not broken either."

"Good job, Harry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you-"

"It's alright, Sirius, I am fine now. So is this your home you mentioned?" Harry asked, looking around more closely.

"Yes, it has been in my family for a very long time but I have not been around here recently, forgive me for the mess."

"I don't mind at all," Harry said truthfully. Any place was better than the Durselys in Harry's opinion.

"Well I will let you and Harry get reacquainted," Dumbledore said as he stepped forward. "I will see you soon, Harry," Dumbledore added kindly before saying his goodbyes to Sirius and leaving through the floo.

"I can't believe you are actually here," Sirius shook his head in astonishment before returning to practical matters. "Your things were taken from your aunt's home. Luckily, Dumbledore claimed them already and they are upstairs."

"And my father's cloak and my photo album?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Everything is there," Sirius replied. "I will show you the way to your room."

As Sirius led the way, Harry was a bit surprised at how gloomy everything looked. It was dark and dust hung in the air.

Harry could see everything clearly of course, but he doubted that he would have been able to a week before. As they walked, Harry pretended to trip upon the rug in the dark stairwell.

"I will put in some lights tomorrow," Sirius said apologetically as he helped Harry to regain his balance. "I haven't really had time to work that much on the house and since I know where everything is, well there hasn't really been a lot of need place lighting anywhere."

"I understand. Thanks for letting me stay here at all," Harry replied.

"No problem. I look forward to you living here, Harry," Sirius said honestly as he opened up Harry's bedroom door.

"Wow, how long did it take you to do this?" Harry asked. The bedroom did not even look like it was the same building as the rest of the house. The walls were done with a warm red color and matching bedspread. It reminded Harry of the Gryffindor common room. But what impressed him the most were the photos that adorned the walls. All of them portrayed either Sirius and his father, sometimes his mother as well, waving happily at the camera.

"I found some more photos while I was looking around my old room. You can take them down if you want-"

"No, I love them. Everything about the room is wonderful," Harry exclaimed as he turned to give Sirius a quick hug.

"Alright, well I'll give you some time to unpack," Sirius replied calmly, though Harry could tell that his reaction had meant a lot to his godfather.

Once his godfather left, Harry decided to get out of his old clothes. After looking into his trunk, Harry discovered that everything was as he had left it. Picking out the first combination he found, Harry changed into one of his old but thankfully clean outfits.

Once that was completed Harry collapsed gratefully upon his bed. Even though not much had happened, it was a draining day. As the first day away from his pack, Harry knew it would be the most difficult time for him. In the following weeks he would be able to build up his tolerance to longer periods without his pack but Fenrir had warned him that whenever he was away he would always feel as if something were missing.

Harry hadn't really comprehended what Fenrir had meant then, but now he understood all too well. Harry felt as if there were a invisible wound in his chest, it made him ache as he breathed. A constant reminder of his predicament. Harry sincerely hoped he would be able to keep his composure for the rest of the night.

Harry scratched at his arms absently. Despite changing his clothes, his skin felt irritated. His body was covered with the scent of different foreign things. Harry thought of taking a shower but then wouldn't that water be contaminated too? Strange magical water would only make him feel worse, Harry decided.

Frustrated, Harry lay down upon the bed and tried to ignore how his skin felt. Just as Harry began to scratch his arms once more, he heard his godfather approaching.

Sirius knocked upon the door.

"Come in," Harry called just after pulling down the sleeves of his shirt.

"Settled in?" Sirius asked.  
Harry nodded. "Yea, everything is great."

"Good, then I was wondering if you wanted something to eat for supper?"

"No, thank you. I'm actually not that hungry, just really tired," Harry added as he pretended to yawn.

Sirius nodded. "I'm sure, walking all that way."

"I used some muggle transportation as well but yea, I had to walk quite a bit," Harry agreed.

"I'll let you get to sleep then. Wouldn't want you to be tired for the party," Sirius added.

"What?" Harry asked, confused. As much as Harry loved Sirius, at that moment he just wanted Sirius to stop talking and leave.

"In two days, don't you know?"

"If I knew I wouldn't be asking," Harry replied, starting to get irritated. His legs began to itch.

"Your birthday, Harry," Sirius answered.

"Oh," Harry replied, not really sure what to say to that. His birthday seemed monumentally unimportant this year in light of everything else that had happened.

"Yes, I'm sure everyone will come. Remus will be very happy to see you once again, if only for a little while."

"Remus?" Harry echoed hollowly. Nothing against Lupin, but that was the last person Harry wanted to see at that moment, let alone in two days. Remus Werewolf Lupin would be able to see through this ruse in a moment, Harry thought bitterly.

"Yes Remus. Now you get some sleep-" Sirius trailed off before taking a step towards Harry.

"Ah- Are you sure you are feeling alright, Harry? You look a bit fevered," Sirius reached out his hand to feel Harry's forehead.

Harry's tenuous hold on his patience snapped, "Don't touch me," Harry growled as he reared back.

Harry immediately felt guilty at seeing the stricken look on Sirius' face. Gripping the bedspread, Harry stared down to floor and tried to control his breathing.

"I'm sorry Sirius. It's just…I'm really tired and would just like to sleep and be left _alone."_

Sirius nodded, though Harry could tell he was still suspicious.

"Really, I'm fine Sirius. Just the dementors and all the hiding on my own afterwards really got to me," Harry replied, grasping onto the first excuses he could think of. Each of which would be partially true if he hadn't had met Fenrir along the way, Harry reminded himself as he tried to assuage his guilt.

"Alright Harry, I understand. I will see you tomorrow then. Good night," Sirius closed the door softly.

The moment the door clicked closed Harry fell back onto his bed and pressed his face firmly against the pillow and yelled gutturally. It made him feel better but made his face itch too.

Harry stood suddenly, he could not stay in the room any longer, it felt cramped and wrong. Harry longed for trees and sky. Although it was earlier than the agreed meeting time, Harry could not stay inside any longer.

Crossing the room, Harry locked his door and walked back to his trunk to take out a pile of clothes.

The clothes began molding themselves together after some prompting from Harry. About a minute later, Harry had a believable replica of himself, which he promptly covered with blankets and placed upon his bed. Although it wouldn't take long to discover that the cloth body was not real, it was better than any transfiguration charm Harry could have accomplished with wizarding magic.

Without a second thought, Harry went to the second story window, opened it and jumped gracefully out of it. Harry landed nimbly upon his feet to find himself in a small dingy back yard.

He didn't take long to look around though, he simply continued through the old disused garden and jumped the wooden fence which separated the property from the alley behind the house.

Harry sighed with relief when he saw a large wolf pacing agitatedly back and forth behind the house.

Fenrir bounded over towards Harry with a sloppy grin on his face which looked completely out of place on the large muscular wolf.

"You're here," Harry noted breathlessly.

Fenrir looked around quickly to make sure no one was watching before transforming out of his wolf state.

"You made it," Fenrir congratulated as he reached out to take Harry's hand comfortingly.

Harry nodded jerkily and gripped Fenrir's hand tightly. "I-I don't feel so well," Harry forced out of his constricting throat.

Fenrir pressed the back of his hand against Harry's forehead in a similar gesture to Sirius'. "You have a fever. Once you get back to the pack you will be fine."

Harry nodded and pressed willingly into Fenrir's embrace as Fenrir apparated them both back to their territory.

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Thanks for reading any comments are welcome.


	16. Decisions

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

* * *

Harry continued to shiver slightly as Fenrir carried him into the center clearing. As Fenrir walked, the rest of the werewolf pack gathered around.

"What happened? Is he alright?" Catherine asked worriedly.

Many of the others echoed her concerns as they crowded around and peered anxiously at Harry's face.

"Silence!" Fenrir ordered.

"I need Catherine and Merri to follow me into the bathing house immediately. Everyone else resume your duties."

The werewolf pack did as they were bid as Fenrir carried Harry to the bathing house. Catherine and Merri followed uneasily behind, knowing that Fenrir was in a particularly foul mood.

Fenrir stripped Harry's clothes off efficiently before setting Harry down in the main pool of water. Waving his hand over the surface of the water, Fenrir made the water warmer until wisps of steam began to rise into the air.

Harry stopped shivering but his eyes remained glazed.

"Hand me the liquid soap and a wash cloth," Fenrir ordered.

Catherine hurriedly did as she was told. Fenrir took the soap and spread a handful onto the top of Harry's head and some onto the washcloth as well. Fenrir began to wash Harry swiftly before lifting him easily from the water and wrapping Harry in a thick robe that Catherine had brought along as well.

Harry had become more alert after the impromptu bath but still felt weak. Before Harry could voice his hunger, Fenrir had ordered Merri to retrieve a plate of dinner for Harry as well.

"Feeling better?" Catherine asked, taking one of Harry's hands in hers in a motherly gesture.

Harry nodded earnestly, though a bit listlessly. A moment later, Harry turned to Fenrir to ask a question but any words died on his lips as Harry saw the stark look of anger clearly present on Fenrir's face.

Harry looked down at his arm, which was where Fenrir's look was directed. There were long red marks up and down Harry's arms from where his nails had broken skin while he was scratching.

Harry quickly looked up at Fenrir once more.

"I swear none of the others did this to me. I accidentally did it, my arms were just itchy-" Harry tried to explain.

"I know what happened," Fenrir answered softly, though his eyes still glared at the marks. Dragging his eyes away from the cuts on Harry's arms, Fenrir went to retrieve an ointment from a nearby cabinet.

Pouring some of the ointment onto Catherine's hands as well, both of the elder werewolves began to rub the medicine onto Harry's arms.

"Why aren't they healing?" Harry asked curiously. "I thought werewolves usually healed faster."

"In most cases we do. However, if the wounds are caused by oneself or another member of one's pack, then the wounds take longer to heal," Catherine answered.

"Now you must tell us every detail of your day so we can figure out what caused your reaction," Catherine continued as she and Fenrir finished.

"What do you mean, wasn't this expected, from my separation from the pack, I mean," Harry asked.

"I expected some discomfort, perhaps slight skin irritation. Nothing as extreme as the symptoms you experienced, Harry," Fenrir answered. "You think I would have let you go knowing you would return like this?"

Harry shrugged. "you had mentioned I would feel poorly and miss the pack, I thought what I was feeling was normal."

"Maybe for a werewolf that was away from his pack for several weeks or more, not for only one day," Fenrir corrected.

"So what happened then?" Catherine asked. "What did they do to you?"

"Nothing," Harry answered immediately before pausing a moment to think back to that morning.

"When I first left Fenrir I felt a little nervous but still fine. It was when I first walked onto Hogwarts grounds that I felt anything."

"What did you feel?" Catherine asked.

"Just like everything became heavy, as if I was under water or something. It felt better after a moment though. Then I saw Hagrid, he hugged me and it felt weird. I still felt uneasy the closer that we got to Hogwarts, but it wasn't too bad. It wasn't until I had to go see Snape that I felt really awful."

"You had to see Snape?" Fenrir asked, surprised.

Harry nodded. "Yes, Hagrid took me to him."

"What happened then?" Catherine asked.

"Snape was his usual self, accused me of being self-centered. Then he came up to me with his wand raised. That was probably the most stressful part of the day I suppose. But it turned out he just wanted to perform an identity spell on me. It made me feel really nauseated though. Luckily I left him quickly after that. I met with Dumbledore and then Sirius shortly afterwards. Although I felt better immediately after leaving Snape, I felt worse again later in the day. Touching anything new bothered me and the itching got worse, and then Sirius just being there made me feel worse. I really felt like I needed to leave, so I did. I guess I just didn't realize how bad it had gotten," Harry finished.

Fenrir sighed and placed his head in his hands.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, just thinking," Fenrir answered slowly.

"Do you know what made my reaction worse than usual?"

"There could be many reasons, Harry," Catherine began. "Perhaps it is just because of your especially strong connection with this pack that you had such a reaction when you were away from us for the first time."

"I think that was part of it," Fenrir agreed. "However, I don't think Snape casting spells on Harry helped any."

"What do you mean? Because I am more sensitive to wizarding magic now?" Harry asked.

"In way, but there is more to it than that. I told you that you would be able to sense wizarding magic better than before. It is something that all werewolves are able to do. In time you will be able to actively defend yourself against it,"

"Like you did before. Their spells glanced right off of you," Harry added.

"Yes, like that. However, you first have to grow into your werewolf magic more fully for you to be able to do that. It is my belief that whatever Snape did, your werewolf instincts saw it as a threat and tried to defend against it, despite the fact that you were no where near ready enough accomplish that," Fenrir answered, shaking his head slightly.

"So that was what must have weakened Harry then," Catherine concluded. Fenrir nodded.

"Then he will just have to learn how to allow wizarding magic to affect him so that he isn't weakened by the effort to repel it. Harry would have had to learn it eventually after he fully grew into his werewolf heritage and began blocking any wizarding magic directed towards him," Catherine reasoned.

"So after I learn to do that, it will be easier? I will not have any of the problems I did today?" Harry asked.

"You will of course still be uneasy when you are not around us but it will be better," Catherine assured.

"So I will be able to act _exactly_ as a wizard in every sense then?"

"A wizard would not be able to sense any difference in you-"

"What about another werewolf?" Harry suddenly asked, standing to face the two elder werewolves.

"What?" Fenrir asked sternly.

"Another werewolf," Harry repeated.

"Which, _other_ werewolf?" Fenrir asked as he stood as well to stare Harry in the eye.

"…Remus," Harry answered lowly, wincing at the outburst that was sure to follow.

"Remus?! Isn't he infiltrating the other packs to the East. Why are you to see him?" Fenrir asked demandingly.

"Well, the day after tomorrow, it's my birthday. I know you don't really celebrate those here but they are important to wizards, there's to be a party that day. And well…Remus is coming," Harry finished, glancing up at Fenrir once more.

By this time Fenrir had turned to stare at the opposite wall, his clenching hands clasped tightly behind his back were the only outward sign of his irritation.

"And what do you expect me to do with this information?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to let you know and to ask if you think he would notice what I am now."

"If I said, 'yes, he would be able to detect the change in a moment,' you would still go wouldn't you?"

"I would have to try," Harry replied. A moment later, Fenrrir still did not respond.

"Fenrir-" Harry began only to be cut off firmly.

"The skills that you learned from me were enough, more than enough to fool a wizard of your true identity. But enough to fool another werewolf? Even one as damaged by wolfs bane as Remus is, that I highly doubt."

"I-"

"And yet you still want my assurance? My approval? How could you ask such a thing, even when you yourself know that whatever I may say will do nothing to sway your decision. You intend to put yourself in a situation beyond my control, one in which you are vulnerable to not only the cruelties of wizards but the werewolf whose loose tongue cost me the lives of not only my mother and father but my entire pack as well?!"

"I didn't mean it that way!" Harry shouted as Fenrir turned around to face him one more. Harry flinched as Fenrir raised his hand, expecting to be hit. However, his reaction was in vain for Fenrir only brushed a lock of his hair from his face.

"You gained a family when you became one of us but the opposite holds true as well. You are now a part of this pack's family. And as a part of our family you have the responsibility to us to keep yourself safe. If you are sure that you will not be harmed upon meeting with Remus, then by all means go ahead. But if you have even the smallest inkling of doubt, I beg you to rethink your decision. It is your choice," with that Fenrir turned to leave the room.

Harry watched him leave, looking lost. Feeling sorry for Harry, Catherine stood to place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Do not fret. He is not angry with you, he is merely worried for your safety. Fenrir is not one who does well with a loss of control. I urge you to think on his words though. Do you think you will be able to continue on with your charade, with Remus no less watching on?"

Harry opened his mouth to immediately answer affirmatively. However, remembering Fenrir's words stopped him. It was true; Harry would have to learn how to not just rush headlong into dangerous situations. He was not alone and his actions did not only affect him any longer

"I'll think about it," Harry replied.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	17. NonNegotiable

A/N: I just wanted to thank all of you that reviewed. It means so much to me!!!! I hope you are happy with this chapter. I myself am unsure. I can not tell if it is going to fast or too slow for the readers. But, nevertheless, here it is. Thanks for reading!

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"Hey Harry, I got some dinner together for you in the dining hall," Merri explained brightly as she walked quickly into the bathing room.

Harry stood in the same place that Catherine had left him moments before.

"Thanks," Harry answered hollowly.

"What's wrong?" Merri asked concernedly.

"It's difficult to explain," Harry replied morosely.

"Alright, well change out of your damp robe and come meet John, Karl, and I in the dining hall and we can talk about it."

Harry nodded.

"And I'll just put these in the laundry room so you can pick them up tomorrow morning," Merri added, gesturing to Harry's jeans and t-shirt which had been unceremoniously discarded and lay forgotten beside the bathing pool.

Looking at his old clothes, Harry wondered if he would ever wear them again.

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Harry tried to explain everything as much as he could between taking bites of food.

"And so I'm not sure if I should go back. I mean, even if I do learn to let magic affect me so that struggling against it doesn't drain my strength, it doesn't mean that I would be completely immune. Dealing with this all was much more difficult than I first thought. How can I go back? Especially since Remus is coming the day after tomorrow."

John and Karl exchanged wide-eyed looks. "You want to fool another werewolf?" John echoed.

Karl shook his head, saying, "Even if he is on wolf's bane, that will next to impossible."

"And considering how you acted today, and all you met were a couple of wizards-" John added.

"I know!" Harry shouted. Harry lowered his voice quickly after noticing several other pack members looking at him curiously.

"Yes, I know." Harry continued on, his voice in a near whisper. "I was telling you this for some help. If I want reasons not to do this I'll go talk to Fenrir."

"Calm down, Harry. We'll think of something," Merri comforted.

"What can I do though? Has anyone had to spend time away from the pack before?"

After a moment of thought all three shook their heads.

"Well, we'll just have to find something to help you then," Karl quickly said at seeing Harry's distraught look.

"Maybe one of us could go with you, be invisible perhaps it would be easier with the presence of your kin around," Merri suggested.

Harry shook his head. "The wards of the Grimauld wouldn't allow that."

"Then a potion or something?" John asked.

"You know Fenrir would never allow Harry to take wolf's bane," Merri countered.

"No, not wolf's bane. A potion not to _suppress_ werewolf nature, but to nurture it. Maybe it would help to calm Harry while he was away," John explained.

"What are you talking about," Merri asked doubtfully.

"I know what you mean, John. Like that one that our sire made for you when he had to go away for the hunt!" Karl exclaimed.

John blushed furiously but nodded his head once. "Yes-well that was where I got the idea."

Karl smirked at his brother mischievously while John studiously avoided looking anyone else in the eye.

"That might work," Merri said after a moments thought.

"Wait, what happened?" Harry asked, a bit confused. Karl smiled and eagerly told his story with a fond smile on his face.

"John and I were babies when we were turned. And well, it takes a lot of time and energy to care for werewolf children, even those who were only turned. Our sire had to watch us all of the time when we were little, lest we get into anything. When we were about four our sire was able to start going on the hunts again. And John, he would cry and scream the whole entire time that our sire was gone-" Karl explained with relish. "He would cry so much-"

"Alright, he gets it!" John shouted at his brother which only made Karl laugh. John rolled his eyes and turned back to Harry. "The point is Harry, I remember my sire making some type of potion to calm me, it reminded me of her and didn't make the time she was away so bad."

"You think that could work for me?" Harry asked excitedly.

Merri shrugged. "It's worth a try, but we will probably have to change it around some."

"Alright, how do we start?" Harry asked.

"Neither Karl nor I remember exactly how to make the potion so we should go ask our sire how to make it just in case."

After coming to that agreement the four werewolves set off.

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It was dark outside when they left the dinning hall. Harry could see the flickering of the fire that was already lit inside the pack sleeping den.

"You think your sire is speaking with the others?" Harry asked.

"No, I don't think so, she's probably out in the forest."

They began walking, with John and Karl leading. It was not long before they found John and Karl's sire. The elder werewolf was kneeling at the base of a tree, with a basket full of bark beside her.

John and Karl's sire, Trishan, looked up, a faint smile on her face.

"Hello there," Trishan began fondly as she stood up the greet the adolescents. "What brings you four here, is something wrong?"

"No, everything is alright," John assured.

"We just have a question _Mava,*_" Karl added. "We wondering if you remember the ingredients from that potion you used to give John to calm him down while you were away."

"Of course," Trishan answered, bending down to retrieve her basket of bark.

"What do you need-" Trishan stopped and stood once more with knowing smile."

"It's not _my_ two cubs who need it though, is it?" Trishan asked, tweaking the noses of each of her sons. John and Karl playfully batted their mother's hands from their faces. "It's for our Lord's own _wolfling, _so he can tolerate being separated from us during the day_," _Trishan continued as she peered around her son's shoulder to gaze down at Harry.

"If you would be willing to help me, I would appreciate it," Harry sincerely replied.

Trishan turned to her sons. "Was there anything else?"

John and Karl both shook their heads.

"Then take Merri and return to the main clearing. Harry and I will be with your shortly."

The three werewolves nodded and did as they were told. Harry watched them leave a bit apprehensively before looking back at Trishan. The elder werewolf was looking down at him a bit curiously with her inquisitive dark eyes.

"I must admit, Harry, I know relatively little of you or your world," Trishan began as she sat once more beneath the nearby tree to sort the pieces of bark she had gathered.

Harry sat down as well, happy to discover that Trishan did not seem as serious as some of the other family heads were prone to be.

"Really, so you were a muggle then?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I was once upon a time. However, despite that, I do know that the wizards do not treat our werewolf kind with any sort of respect, and it some cases outright cruelty. That is why you are trying to hide yourself from them, yes?"

"Those were Fenrir's reasons, not mine. I believe they would accept me, were they to know," Harry argued.

"Yet still you have your doubts. Otherwise you would not be here. You would not have come to me, searching for old potions that would have little to no power to help you," Catherine replied.

"So there is _no_ potion?" Harry asked.

"I did not say that. I only meant that the potion I gave to my son when he was a child would do very little to aid you in your predicament."

"Is there another that could?" Harry returned.

Trishan brushed her hand over the top of the grass as if it were the fur of a well loved pet before shrugging slowly. "One can not be sure-"

"How can one not be sure? What do you mean? " Harry demanded, his patience stretching thin.

"_Exactly _what I have said," Trishan replied with a subtle edge to her voice, reminding Harry that he was dangerously close to stretching her patience thin.

"I'm sorry," Harry hurriedly apologized. "I just don't understand why one potion could work for one person and not for another. I mean, there are rules, recipes. You follow the rules and the potion comes out right, deviate a little and the potion is ruined-"

"And where did you learn this?" Trishan asked.

"From- from wizards," Harry replied a bit sheepishly.

"That is your problem Harry. Hasn't Fenrir already taught you the difference between wizarding magic and werewolf magic?"

Harry nodded.

"The difference between our potion methods are the same. The wizards developed such strict rules in order to control the natural magic around them to do exactly what they want them to do. Werewolves need no such tricks. Of course there are certain ingredients that go naturally together. However, as long as we treat them with respect, our ends can be achieved. Do you understand?" Trishan asked.

"It's a bit confusing, but I think I am beginning to," Harry replied.

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Soon afterwards, Harry and Trishan walked back into the sleeping den. All of the other werewolves were sleeping in their respective places, except for Fenrir who remained sitting upright staring into the dieing fire.

Trishan walked quietly over to her own two sons to get some sleep. Harry continued on towards Fenrir and sat a bit apprehensively beside him before handing the elder werewolf a small wooden bowl full of thick pale green paste.

"And this is?" Fenrir asked, bringing the bowl to his face to sniff at it tentatively.

"Trishan helped me to make it."

"It smells faintly like pine," Fenrir observed.

Harry nodded. "Yes, it's supposed to help while I am away during the day. When it is in this form I can rub it on my skin, or if I boil it with water I can make it into a potion to drink. What do you think?" Harry asked worriedly.

"This was a unexpected solution. Very clever of you and Trishan to have thought of it."

"It was actually John's original idea."

"hmm. So I take this to mean you are returning tomorrow?" Fenrir asked, trying not to sound as strained as he felt.

"Just to try this out," Harry hastily explained. "Hopefully it will work and then tomorrow night you can teach me to allow wizarding magic to affect me so that I will not be weakened while trying to defend against it. Once I learn that I should be alright don't you think?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Your plans depend on many things, Harry. If the potion doesn't work tomorrow…" Fenrir trailed off.

"Then I won't go back the next day when Remus will be present. You were right, I was not being cautious enough. If I can not be sure of my ability to act completely as I used to, then I won't return. I will think of something else."

Fenrir caressed his forehead in thought. "Alright, it is obvious you put much thought into this. I will accompany you tomorrow on your return to your godfather's home."

Harry smiled and embraced Fenrir happily.

Fenrir patted Harry's arm a bit awkwardly. If he did as he wanted to and grabbed the boy firmly, Fenrir was sure he would never let go. The elder werewolf would never admit but the day of Harry's absence had been just as difficult for him. Perhaps not physically, but worrying over Harry's well-being every moment during the day had weighed greatly upon his mind.

Fenrir cleared his throat and gently pushed Harry away. "Now go get some sleep. I'll wake you in a couple of hours."

Harry nodded, smiling again, before walking back towards his own blanket pile.

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The next morning found Harry scowling down at his shoes, his rubber uncomfortable shoes. At least his jeans and T-Shirt were much more comfortable now. After washing them quickly that morning they didn't seem as covered with wizarding magic as they did before and did not seem as itchy either. However, if that was due to Trishan's lotion or the extra clothes washing, Harry couldn't be sure.

Harry returned to the center clearing to meet Fenrir once again. It was early in the morning, the sun just rising. And although Harry felt he should be, he was not the least bit tired.

The same could not be said for Fenrir though. Although Fenrir knew it was still unnoticeable at this point, it didn't change the fact that he was extremely weary. He could hardly sleep the night before and doubted that he would have much more luck the coming night. Shaking off his somber thoughts, Fenrir took Harry's shoulder firmly to transport him back to his godfather's.

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After saying his goodbyes to Fenrir, Harry quickly vaulted over the fence to return to Grimmauld place. Happy that he had left his bedroom window unlocked, Harry deftly climbed several vines to make it to his room undetected. Harry noted that his trunk was as he left it, as was everything else. Breathing a sigh of relief, Harry continued through his bedroom to the hallway and on to the kitchen. Taking a seat, Harry steeled himself for the coming day.

"You're up early," Sirius commented about half an hour later as he walked into the kitchen.

Harry shrugged, "I went to bed early."

"So you're feeling better?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, you must be hungry then," Sirius added as he walked further into the kitchen.

Harry actually wasn't too hungry as he had had a little breakfast with Fenrir earlier. But he didn't think it wise not eat anything with Sirius so Harry didn't disagree with his godfather.

Sirius began fiddling around in several of the surrounding cabinets. "Sorry, I am simply atrocious with food spells, so I can't fix up something instantaneously, but I've been teaching myself how to cook the muggle way. It's not as bad as I originally thought. So anything in particular that you would like?""Oh just some toast would be fine," Harry replied.

"Alright, some toast, coming up."

Harry was relieved that the rest of the day went as smoothly as breakfast had. There were no other visitors the entire day, no other distractions. Harry enjoyed the quiet time to not only test out Trishan's ointment but to simply get to know his godfather better.

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That evening when Harry returned to the pack, he was a little surprised by how many other werewolves were loitering around in the clearing waiting for him.

"He's fine," Fenrir shouted gruffly, startling most of the pack.

Harry blushed, remembering that the day before he had come back nearly unconscious in Fenrir's arms.

Fenrir turned to Harry. "You can go change if you like. Myself and the others will be waiting for you in the dining hall."

Harry nodded and went to change. When he returned to the dinning hall Fenrir, Catherine, John, Karl, Merri, and Trishan were all waiting patiently for him.

Harry sat down and was happy to see a plate of food that was set aside for him. He was starving, not that Sirius' cooking was lacking, but the food his pack served seemed to sate his hunger more than Sirius' did.

While eating Harry explained what had happened throughout the day.

"Everything went well. Of course, no one cast any sorts of spells on me, so I think that helped quite a bit. But even when I touched Sirius, I felt no misgivings, my skin did not itch either. However, when I touched some of the objects that used to belong to Sirius' family and not Sirius himself, I felt a little bit of the old feelings return," Harry answered truthfully.

"Maybe because those objects were more magical?" Merri hypothesized.

"I think it has more to do with the fact that Harry does not consider Sirius' biological family as his own," Trishan answered.

"What? Either the ointment will work or it will not," Karl interjected.

Trishan shook her head. "The ointment that Harry and I created will not completely mask his outside environment. His body will still react to foreign substances. All that I am saying is that it seems as if the symptoms are less severe when Harry comes into contact with things that are more familiar to him. He considers Sirius as his family so touching him and his affects do not bother him as much as other things."

Harry nodded, Trishan's explanation made sense. "Either way, the symptoms were not as bad. I only had to apply the lotion to my hands a couple of times during the day. The rest of my body felt fine."

Fenrir steepled his fingers while listening attentively. "Anything else?"

Harry shook his head.

"Well, what do you think?" Fenrir asked, looking between Harry and Trishan.

Harry looked hopefully at Fenrir. "Everything worked out today. Once magical spells have no affect upon me, I don't see any problems. I would like to go tomorrow, that is if Trishan thinks the ointment will work as well tomorrow."

"I don't see why it wouldn't."

Fenrir nodded gravely. "There we have it then. As per your request, you will return to the _wizards_ tomorrow," Fenrir said as he nodded once again, more to convince himself than the others, before standing abruptly and leaving the room.

Harry watched the elder werewolf leave, confused.

"Did I say something wrong? I know he is not too fond of my idea but really…"

"He has just been a little strained in recent days. Fenrir has never been one to show his feelings well," Trishan assured.

"You can say that again," Karl whispered under his breath, causing both John and Merri to laugh quietly.

"In any case, this matter is irrelevant," Catherine began, staring pointedly at Karl. "Tonight, Harry, we need to teach you how to allow wizarding magic to affect you. I will instruct you. Theodron will assist with the practical aspects of the lesson as he still is in possession of his wand-"

"I thought Fenrir would be teaching me?" Harry asked.

"It was thought better if he not-"

"But-" Harry interrupted before being interrupted himself.

"If you have any questions about it you can speak to Fenrir yourself. Until then, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from continually interrupting me."

"Yes, Catherine," Harry answered a bit embarrassedly.

Catherine nodded. "Good, you can meet me in the central clearing when you are finished eating."

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A couple hours later Harry walked back into the sleeping den, extremely irritable. Not that Catherine wasn't an accomplished teacher, but she was not the most understanding sort. In addition, it didn't help that the whole object of the lesson was to allow one's self to be _hit_ with the stunning curse. It was hard enough to not allow himself to erect a wizarding shield of some sort, let alone his natural werewolf defenses.

Harry collapsed before the fire next to Fenrir as he had the night before.

"How was your lesson?" Fenrir inquired.

"Just _fine_, I've learned what I needed to. If anyone should happen to use magic upon me tomorrow I won't give myself away by somehow deflecting it or weaken myself in the effort to do so. Not that it matters to you, considering you didn't even bother to teach me yourself as you said you would," Harry added accusingly.

It was odd, Harry felt discarded in a way. During all previous occasions, Fenrir had always been there for him, it seemed. Whenever Fenrir was away it was for a good reason, a meeting with the other elders or when he was out hunting. Fenrir had never just left before, especially when they had already made plans, it made no sense to Harry.

Fenrir turned to glare at Harry because of the cub's impertinent tone, before Fenrir realized that Harry was only upset at being left with Catherine at the last moment. Fenrir's look softened before he turned back to gaze at the fire.

"I apologize, you are right to feel slighted."

"Why did you leave though? Is it because I am going back to the wizards tomorrow?" Harry asked.

"I would be a liar if I said that your choice did not upset me to some degree," Fenrir admitted. "But no, that is not the reason. I left simply because I did not wish to distract you."

"Distract me? Why would you distract me-"

"There are some important events in the coming days. Your birthday for one is this day and the following is that of the high moon-"

"High moon?" Harry asked.

"You would say full moon, it is the night of your first transformation. An important day for any werewolf."

Harry stared at the elder werewolf confusedly. "This still does not explain you not teaching me as you said you would."

"I had forgotten that in light of these events I could not continued on assisting you as I had before. I did not wish to explain all of the details this night, as you had many more important things to attend to. I still do not wish to discuss them. You need your sleep. Tomorrow evening I will catch you up on everything you will need to know."

Harry sighed, he hated being kept from important knowledge. However, he also realized the truth of Fenrir's words. He was pretty tired and needed rest for the coming day. Besides, Harry reminded himself, it wasn't as if Fenrir said he would never tell him, Harry just had to wait till the next evening.

"I'll hold you to that then," Harry agreed. "And you better have a good reason for leaving me with Catherine for the last two hours."

Fenrir smirked and shook his head.

"Alright I will. Now get off to bed you impertinent pup," Fenrir replied.

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The next morning Harry vaulted over the fence as usual and climbed back up to his room. After waiting for the sky to brighten completely, Harry took a deep breath and walked downstairs to the kitchen.

Harry was relieved to discover that Sirius was the only one present.

"So when is everyone getting here?" Harry asked as he began eating his toast.

"This afternoon, around 2," Sirius answered. "Would you like some jam?"

"No, this is fine," Harry responded. "And will, ah…Remus be here then too?" Harry asked insouciantly, trying not to sound nervous at the thought.

"Yes, I suppose so. Although, we can't be sure as he is traveling from such a far distance."

Harry nodded understandingly.

The rest of the morning was spent in the kitchen while Harry watched Sirius make his birthday cake. It was very entertaining. Sirius, having never baked before, spent a ridiculous amount of time mixing the ingredients.

"Are you _sure _you don't want any help?" Harry asked again for the hundredth time.

"No, no, no. This is your birthday cake, you can't help to make it. I've got it covered," Sirius reiterated as he rubbed the tip of his nose with the back of his hand.

"Uh…Sirius?"

"Yes, Harry," Sirius sighed.

"You have flour all over your nose," Harry informed before snickering.

Sirius turned around to glare mockingly at his godson. "Give me a break, first time baking remember. I could have just told mrs. Weasely to make you a cake, but because I _care _about you so much, I wanted to make you something from my heart!" Sirius replied dramatically, wiping a fake tear from his eye, effectively getting flour on his cheek as well.

Harry only laughed harder.

Sirius turned back to his mixing bowl. "But really, stop making fun of your poor, poor godfather. Your friends will be here soon. Go relax and have fun before they arrive. I'm sorry I am not able to take you anywhere but you're welcome to go anywhere in the house. However, if you go in the attic you should be careful since the dust bunnies are known to attack unexpectedly."

"Eww, no thank you," Harry replied, wrinkling his nose. "I'll just go to the sitting room and take a nap or something. Call me if you need help."

"Will do!"

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As Harry walked to the sitting room, the fire place sparked to life. Even though it was Summer, Grimmauld Place always seemed a bit cold and Harry was glad for the added warmth of the fire.

Considering the fading red settee, Harry instead chose to sit on the wooden floor before the fire. It was nice, almost reminded him of being in the sleeping den. Harry laid down on the floor for a moment. Although he wasn't really tired, it was nice to simply relax. Looking at the fire once more, Harry wondered what fascinated Fenrir so much about it. Lately whenever Harry had walked into the sleeping den he would find Fenrir staring into the fire. What did the elder werewolf find there?

Harry sat up and crossed his legs with his hands hanging limply off his knees as Fenrir was wont to do. Several minutes later, Harry realized why Fenrir enjoyed this activity, it was simply relaxing. As Harry continued staring, he slowly became aware of another presence in the room, standing in the doorway quietly. It was not Sirius, that Harry could tell immediately. Harry also quickly discerned that the presence meant no harm. But other than that, Harry could not tell. Breathing deeply, Harry tried to replay in his mind what Fenrir had taught him about using his werewolf senses. Harry smelled fresh soil, dirt, but not the sour kind from the city. Whoever this person was, they had not been in London long. They smelled of faraway places, dark forests from across the ocean-Remus! Harry's mind quickly supplied. A moment later and Harry was sure, the one behind him was indeed Remus.

It took everything that Harry had to not tense visibly. Harry had the sudden urge to turn around and demand why Remus was just standing there, not saying anything for so long. Only one thought stopped him. As a human, Harry was sure, he would have never been aware of Remus standing behind him from scent alone. And Harry was also sure that Remus hadn't made a sound. It would look a bit odd if Harry suddenly turned around started shouting at Remus. A wave of anger overcame Harry, irritation that he let himself get distracted by staring at a bloody fire instead of listening and paying attention for visitors as he should have been doing. Perhaps he should just turn around slowly, act surprised-"

"Harry?" Remus finally spoke.

Harry gave an inward sigh of relief and tuned around.

"Remus!" Harry shouted happily. For Harry really was happy to see Remus, despite his earlier anger with Remus' strange, silent stint in the doorway.

Harry stood to give Remus a hug, only to notice that Remus returned it only half-heartedly.

"What's wrong Remus?" Harry asked confusedly.

"What were you doing Harry?" Remus asked instead.

Harry shook his head. "Oh, just sitting around. Come on, have you said hello to Sirius yet? I'm sure he'll be just as happy to see you as I am. He's in the kitchen over here. He's making my cake by hand, did you know?" Harry said this all very quickly while he practically dragged Remus into the kitchen. He knew he was babbling, but Harry didn't care. Anything to keep Remus from staring at him so oddly.

Once Harry got Remus into the kitchen, Sirius promptly took over the conversation. After remarking on Remus' fortuitous early arrival, Sirius then put Remus to work balling cookie dough. "You're making cookies too!" Harry exclaimed.

"A birthday is not complete with out cookies and cake," was all that Sirius said in response. Harry and Remus shared a incredulous look at Sirius' sudden prowess in muggle cooking and everything seemed back to normal.

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After that, things progressed fairly quickly, at least to Harry's mind. Following Remus' arrival was the Weasley family. Harry was happy to discover that sharing a fierce hug with Ron made him feel no worse than before. Next to arrive was Hermione and her family. After Remus, Hermione was the one that Harry was most worried would discover his secret. It pleased Harry that she seemed none the wiser. Whether that was because of his overwhelming ability to perfect wizarding behavior or the expected celebratory birthday distraction, Harry was not sure. He was not going to let uncertainty discourage him though, Harry was sure that at the very least he was doing reasonably well.

Once everyone arrived, they all retired to kitchen. After the table was enlarged, everyone began eating Sirius' and Molly's dishes.

Harry personally knew that Molly used magic, in at least part, to cook her food. And, so as not to chance it, Harry stuck with Sirius' desserts. As it was his birthday, Harry got away with it. Although Harry didn't find sweets as appealing as he once did, he was still impressed. Sirius' cake was surprisingly good. The cookies were as well, although Remus jokingly took credit for that outcome.

After eating, Harry got to open his presents. A large pile of wrapping paper later showed Harry to be the proud owner of several more books, a never-ending color-quill, two new pairs of jeans, and some newly invented sweets. All in all, Harry was very happy with his birthday.

The next couple of hours were taken up with talking and catching up. Harry was proud of himself that he only had to leave to the 'bathroom' once to reapply the ointment to his itching hands.

But even though Harry knew he was doing well, he was still relieved when everyone got up to leave. Harry hugged his friends goodbye before they flooed away. Sirius and Harry then escorted Remus to the door.

"Thanks for coming, Remus," Harry said truthfully as he gave Remus a hug goodbye. "See you soon?" Harry asked.

"Or course," Remus replied sincerely .

Harry smiled and left to his own room, to allow Sirius and Remus to say their own goodbyes.

Several minutes later Sirius stopped by his room.

"So did you enjoy your birthday?" Sirius asked, as he sat down at the foot of Harry's bed.

"Of course! The best I've ever had. That cake you made really was really good."

"You think so? Thank you," Sirius replied proudly. "So, how about tomorrow we try those sweets the twins gave you," Sirius suggested.

"Are you crazy!" Harry exclaimed. "Those are for enemies-"

"It'll be fun," Sirius protested.

"Why don't _you_ try them tomorrow then?" Harry taunted.

"Maybe I will, maybe I'll put them in our morning toast!"

"You wouldn't dare," Harry whispered dramatically.

"Wouldn't I? It seems like a great idea."

"No, please Sirius-"

"Well, I guess I will see you tomorrow then, Harry. Sleep well," Sirius added as he stood.

"Sirius, you better not put those sweets in our food!"

"I Can't Hear you. Good night, Harry," Sirius shouted out as he closed the door.

Harry shook his head and laughed into his pillow. Tomorrow was sure to be entertaining. And it would hopefully be a whole lot less stressful. After waiting several moments to make sure that Sirius was completely asleep, Harry opened his bedroom window and carefully climbed out before letting himself drop to the ground bellow. Harry turned and pushed his way through the bushes before walking toward the fence. However, a voice stopped him in his tracks.

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"Hello, Harry"

Harry whipped around, surprised to see Remus standing in the shadows.

"Oh Remus, there you are. I had thought you left," Harry replied, thinking fast. Did Remus see him drop from the window? What would he think, did he know? Harry smiled though his heart began to beat hard and fast.

"I almost did leave, Sirius thinks I am gone as well. However, I just got a feeling that I might see you once again, should I wait around. Seems I was right. I have hoped so much against this outcome, Harry."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice from breaking.

"I mean-I mean…where are you going, Harry?" Remus asked in a defeated tone of voice.

Harry stood in the middle of the old untended garden, uncertain what to do, what to say. How could he explain being caught clearly leaving Sirius' home? His body was in turmoil, he needed to get back to his pack. But he couldn't just leave, that would be suspicious. Harry did not work all day to give everything away now. Harry knew he had done _nothing_ vaguely like werewolf behavior the entire day. There was no way that Remus would know anything.

"I just wanted to go outside, I like the evening air."

"Yes, you would, wouldn't you," Remus replied as he stepped forward from the shadows to look up at the sky.

"What?" Harry asked, confused, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"Tomorrow's the full moon, didn't you know?"

Harry shook his head. "Astronomy was never one of my better subjects."

"Really, I would have thought you'd have known. Unless lying has become another one of your many attributes."

Harry's breath caught in his throat.

"Are you a liar, Harry?" Remus continued as he took a step closer to Harry.

"Why would I lie about that?" Harry asked.

Remus chuckled in a sardonic sort of way. "Well you have become a professional at avoiding questions at least. How about this one, when did he change you?"

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked defensively.

"Harry, stop playing dumb. Even if I didn't see you jump out of a second story window with hardly a second thought, I would have known you were turned."

Harry glared at the ground below angrily, wondering how in the _hell _Remus knew _anything_ before turning to him once more.

"How did you know?" Harry demanded.

"You want to know what gave you away?" Remus asked pityingly.

Harry nodded. "I know I did everything perfectly-"

"Oh you did. You performed flawlessly. And that was your problem."

"What do you mean?" Harry questioned.

"Fenrir taught you too well. You mimic him now, haven't you noticed? I guess not. The tilt of your head, the way you stand. You give yourself away with your every movement. I noticed it at first by the way you sat when I first saw you. Little inconsequential things. I wasn't sure then, but I doubted enough to stay here and wait. And here you are," Remus shook his head disappointedly before going on.

"You know, you're lucky I'm the only one out side of his pack who knows Fenrir's habits well enough to connect the dots or you would have been caught three days ago. If I weren't taking the wolfs bane potion I am sure I would be able to smell Fenrir's scent all over you, wouldn't I? Isn't that how you keep the shaking at bay, some type of potion I assume," Remus continued disparagingly, "well that's just another one of his little ploys to keep you from showing your true self. The _dependent cub _he's turned you into!" Remus shouted.

Harry shook his head as he felt tears come to his eyes.

"No, you don't underst-"

"What I want to know is why he sent you back," Remus continued, overriding Harry's protests. "What does he want now, more information on wizards so he can kill us all as he's always wanted? Or perhaps he wants you at Hogwarts to bite more children to help his numbers grow!"

"Stop!" Harry shouted. "It's not like that!"

"Then how is it, Harry? Enlighten me."

"I asked to come back, I swear I did. Fenrir had nothing to do with it. Please don't tell anyone, they wouldn't understand."

"_I_ don't even understand, Harry. But do not worry, I will not tell anyone."

"You won't?" Harry asked, allowing himself to feel a glimmer of hope.

"No, I won't. You were right, they wouldn't understand. I know from experience. No matter how close I became to my wizarding acquaintances, there was always a gap between us. I will not let Fenrir's uncontrollable selfishness hold you back as well. No one will know."

Harry opened his mouth to respond but Remus spoke over him again.

"What will happen is that you will begin taking the wolf's bane potion tomorrow, you will sever all contact with Fenrir. You will no longer go back to him-"

"I won't do that!" Harry shouted.

"I'm sorry, Harry, you don't seem to understand."

"What, what don't _I _understand?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"This isn't a matter of choice."

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Thanks for reading, any reviews are welcome!


	18. For you, anything

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: I apologize for the wait! I hope you like the chapter.

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"Fenrir, can you please calm down," Catherine asked exasperatedly. Sure, Catherine was not having an exactly great time waiting in the back of some alleyway staring at a fence, but Fenrir's pacing was not helping matters.

"I am calm," Fenrir stated evenly.

Catherine rolled her eyes once again as Fenrir paced agitatedly before her.

"He should be here already," Fenrir began for the tenth time.

"If you're so worried, then go get him," Catherine advised, once again.

"What part of my description of wards did you not understand, Catherine? Was it the part where we couldn't pass the borders, or maybe-"

"Fenrir, stop it. Arguing with me is not going to help. Besides, you could break the wards surrounding the house if you wanted to."

"I'm not even sure if Harry's in any type of danger yet. If I broke the wards, that would only alert everyone in the house and it would be even more difficult to get Harry out unscathed. And I could never forgive myself if he was harmed due to my impatience-"

"Yes, I remember your reasoning. I was only hoping that reminding yourself of your logic would calm you down and get you to stop your pacing!" Catherine exclaimed.

Fenrir glared halfheartedly at Catherine for a moment before resuming his pacing once more. "He should be here by now," Fenrir added.

Catherine shook her head disparagingly.

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"What, what don't _I _understand?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"This isn't a matter of choice."

Harry stopped short and stared at Remus incredulously.

"Are you insane! Of course it is a matter of choice, _my _choice as this is _my _life-"

"Harry, can't you see how much I care about you? I'm only trying to keep you from making the same mistakes that I once did!" Remus explained.

Harry tried to let go of the initial anger he felt at Remus for trying to control him. After all, he did understand Remus to some extent. For Remus didn't know Fenrir as he did. But that still didn't mean that Harry was just going to go along with Remus' plan.

"Things aren't the same, I'm not making a mistake, and I'm not going to listen to _you_. You said yourself that you won't tell anyone about me so I can and will continue to live with Sirius during the day as I wish. And you can't stop me from going back to my werewolf family during the evenings. So whether you like or not, this is how I want to live my life. Until next time then, Good bye, Remus," Harry replied with finality before turning around to walk to the fence.

Remus reached out to grab Harry's wrist, quicker than was possible for a mortal.

"_Don't_ touch me," Harry snapped as he tried to wrest his wrist back. Harry's eyes widened when Remus' grip remained firm.

"You're still a pup, Harry. Even with the lasting effects of the Wolf's bane I can keep you here…for a time, at least until we get a dosage of Wolf's bane potion for you."

"What? No! Let me go," Harry ordered firmly.

Remus shook his head. "I can help you, Harry," Remus pleaded sincerely.

"You're making a mistake Remus. Either you let me go, or I'll make you let me go," Harry threatened with more bravado that he felt, though anger was quickly overcoming any fear or hesitation that he felt.

When Remus still remained firm, Harry's anger increased, along with the utter regret that came along when a once good friend severely disappointed. It all left Harry's head feeling light and made his vision seem even clearer.

"Please, stop fighting me Harry, I'm only trying to protect you," Remus reiterated, reaching out with his opposite hand to brush several stray strands of hair out of Harry's face.

Something instinctive within Harry snapped, his anger bleeding into his frustration from being confined in Remus' vice-like grip. Harry felt a haze of single minded determination steal over his mind. He didn't know what was happening, but he didn't care. All he knew was that the man in front of him was invading, trying to control him, keeping him from his pack. And every other thought or reasoning melted away.

Remus was beyond surprised when an menacing growl escaped Harry's throat and then only moments later, Harry was suddenly rearing toward him, a ferocious look in the boy's eye.

A clawed fist caught Remus squarely in the jaw before Remus could recover himself and block the next assault.

"Harry, calm down!" Remus ordered as he caught both of Harry's fists again before they could grab his throat.

Harry only growled once again in response. However, this time the growl sounded more like a roar; it was louder and more guttural and made Remus shudder in response. Remus used the last of his leverage to force Harry onto the ground, where he could use his greater weight to his advantage.

Just as Remus was able to pin the writhing boy down to the ground, the back door burst open, revealing a very irate looking Sirius. The man had his wand drawn and looked ready for a fight. However, when Sirius noticed that it was Remus on the ground, Sirius lowered his wand.

"What in the bloody hell is going on here?" Sirius asked incredulously.

Remus opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. It was taking up all of his strength to just keep the squirming form of Harry on the ground. Harry suddenly snapped his chin up, and tried to bite Remus' face. Remus quickly jerked his head to the side, narrowly missing Harry's sharpened teeth. The movement cause Sirius to see exactly who it was that Remus had pinned beneath him.

"Is that Harry?" Sirius practically shrieked as he ran over to the pair.

"Sirius he was trying-"

"I don't care what he was trying, get off of him!" Sirius ordered as he pushed Remus off of Harry.

The moment Harry was free, he leapt at Remus once again. Remus fell onto the ground once more, this time with Harry on top of him. Remus locked his arms against Harry's shoulders, trying to keep the snapping teeth away from his face.

"Harry, what are you doing!" Sirius shouted as he ran over and grabbed Harry by the waist and lifted him from Remus' prone form.

With Remus' help Sirius was able to pin Harry to ground once more.

"Calm down, Harry," Sirius pleaded fervently, glancing at the boy's face worriedly as he tried to keep Harry's hands from pummeling him. As Sirius did, he noticed Harry's eyes, they were no longer entirely green, they were ringed with yellow…

"You Bit Him!" Sirius shouted at Remus accusingly.

"No! I would never!" Remus quickly answered, afraid that Sirius would start trying to hit him as well. Before Remus could explain further, a rumbling sound interrupted him. Sirius looked towards the back fence before turning to face Remus once more with wide eyes.

"Someone is breaking through the wards!" Sirius hissed to Remus angrily. Sirius stood, leaving Remus to deal with Harry.

Two dark shapes suddenly leapt over the fence. Before Sirius could even raise his wand a gust of wind caught him in the middle and sent him sailing through the air. Sirius hit the ground hard with Remus joining him a moment later. As the two stunned wizards tried to move they noticed the grass and nearby tree roots had started to grow rapidly and were wrapping around their arms and legs. Remus and Sirius started struggling to get free, but it was too late. Every moment the vines tightened more rapidly around them until they couldn't move at all.

"Get away from him!" Sirius shouted ineffectually as he opened his eyes and noticed the two intruders walking towards Harry. For a moment Sirius was inordinately happy that Harry had been acting so peculiarly moments before. He doubted that two death eaters would be able to take on the physical attack that Harry would soon reveal.

However, Sirius was soon extremely disappointed. Instead of attacking, like he had done before to Remus, Sirius was shocked to see Harry only run up to the two in greeting and circle them quickly as he let out a series of high pitched yipping sounds.

Sirius' brows knitted together in confusion.

"What sort of spell is this that the death eaters have cast upon my godson?" Sirius whispered, astonished.

"They aren't death eaters," Remus responded resignedly. "If you could see better in the dark you would notice that the taller one is Fenrir, and the other is someone from his pack I assume."

"What?! Why are they here?" Sirius asked in a harsh whisper as he continued to watch as Harry and the two intruders knelt next to each other in the grass.

"I stuck around after I pretended to leave. Harry came out and I found out he was a werewolf. I was trying to get Harry to stay here with us. If he took wolf's bane potion his connection to his old pack would be severed and he could go back to a life almost like before. I tried to explain this to him…but he wouldn't listen. I tried to force him to stay here but then I don't know what happened. They must have been expecting him and came to find Harry," Remus answered.

Sirius only stared at Remus blankly. "Wait…back up. Harry's a werewolf?"

Remus didn't get a chance to respond for Fenrir had stood from his kneeling position next to Harry and came to look down at his two captives.

Fenrir smirked slightly as he took in Remus' scratched face and the several deep gashes that littered Remus' arms and neck.

"So that is what happened to make him so upset? You threatened him with that poison and tried to forbid him from seeing his family-!" Fenrir shouted angrily.

"_We_ Are his family," Remus interrupted. "And what did you do to himto make him act that way?" Remus asked angrily, jerking his head towards Harry, who still remained kneeling in the grass. Remus noted that the boy looked less agitated now at least and seemed to be coming out whatever haze-like fury he had been expressing moments before.

"Me? I did nothing," Fenrir retorted. "It was _you_ that upset him enough, made him feel _threatened_ enough so that his werewolf instincts came to the surface, before his body was able to handle the change."

Understanding dawned in Remus' eyes.

"Wait, I don't understand," Sirius added, feeling extremely lost once again as he looked back and forth between Remus and Fenrir.

Remus shook his head despondently before answering Sirius in a soft voice. "When pureblood werewolves feel vulnerable, they have the ability to revert to their werewolf forms if they wish. That happened with Harry tonight, but since he has yet to experience his first full moon his body was unable to accompany the change yet."

"Still he held his own admirably well I should think," Fenrir taunted proudly. "Harry is a strong werewolf, even if he still is a pup-"

"Shut up!" Remus shouted. "You don't even deserve the right to utter his name you filthy-"

"Remus!" Sirius shouted, clearly irritated. "Insulting Fenrir is not helping!" Sirius added in a harsh whisper.

"And since when did you become the voice of reason?" Remus retorted angrily.

"Since you started endangering My Godson!" Sirius countered.

"Endangering! I was protecting-"

"Will Harry be alright though?" Sirius asked Fenrir worriedly, ignoring Remus for the moment as he looked past Fenrir to watch Harry again. The boy seemed fine, Sirius assured himself, at least Harry was standing now.

"Luckily for you wizard, he'll be fine. Just give him a couple of moments and he will calm down enough to return to the state that you know him best as. However, I don't see things going as well for Remus here though," Fenrir replied ominously as he kneeled down before his two captives. Remus started struggling in earnest once more, but the vines held tight.

Sirius looked worriedly to his long time friend. There was a malicious glint in Fenrir's eyes that did not bode well. And even if Remus was being especially and uncharacteristically thickheaded at the moment, Sirius didn't think his old friend deserved whatever torture Fenrir had planned.

"Fenrir, please. I don't know what happened exactly but I do know that Remus would never want to hurt Harry, really," Sirius pleaded on Remus' behalf.

But Fenrir only ignored him and reached out to drag one sharp nail through an exposed gash in Remus' shoulder. Remus winced but only continued to glare angrily up at Fenrir.

A hand suddenly appeared a Fenrir's shoulder.

"Stop, don't hurt him anymore…please," Harry added, though he still watched Remus warily.

Fenrir sighed regretfully but did as Harry asked and stood once more. Fenrir reached out to tilt Harry's face up and smiled as he noted Harry's now clear and unfevered gaze before looking between Remus and Harry once more. "You always have to forgive them don't you, even when they try to hurt you?"

Harry shook his head. "No, not forgive…but Remus doesn't deserve your punishment. Besides, physically hurting him wouldn't make him understand my decision," Harry reasoned.

"The goal of my kind of punishment isn't to educate or elucidate but to make them pay for what they have done to harm what I value most," Fenrir maintained.

The force of Fenrir's words took Harry's breath away and made it hard for him reply.

"Still, I would…" Harry paused, trying to think of the right word …"_appreciate it_, if you let them remain unharmed."

Fenrir stood, silent and assessing for several tense moments before tilting his head only slightly forward, "Fine, they may live." Harry smiled gratefully and almost laughed at the gob smacked expression on Remus' face.

"However!" Fenrir continued. "You must now see that you have no place among their kind any longer."

Harry nodded slowly. Sirius' heart ached at the forlorn look in Harry's eyes, the boy did look very tired as well.

"Yes, I thought that at least Remus would have understood but…" Harry trailed off at a loss of words.

Fenrir placed his hand on Harry's shoulder comfortingly before turning to Sirius and Remus.

"Harry and I will be leaving now. And let me remind you that if either of you try to force Harry away from his rightful place in my pack again, I will kill you…no matter how appealingly Harry may plead."

Before Fenrir could lead Harry away though, Harry stopped and asked quietly, "Before we leave, could you let my godfather go for a moment. I just wanted to say goodbye."

Fenrir's eyes darted to the kneeling wizard, considering. "Don't try anything," Fenrir warned before waving his right hand in an exaggerated arch. The vines fell off of Sirius one by one.

"You may say you goodbyes," Fenrir allowed before walking back to stand beside Catherine to observe the scene.

The moment Fenir left, Sirius leapt up to wrap Harry in a fierce hug. Harry returned it, noticing it didn't bother him as much as it had before to hug his godfather. Not that it would do any good though, Harry thought morosely, he would be leaving soon in any case.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked, moving back a little to study Harry's face.

To be honest, Harry felt exceptionally tired. After the hectic day, trying to suppress any inherent werewolf behavior, and then undergoing the mental transformation into a werewolf-it was bordering on too much and Harry felt likely to collapse at any moment. But looking at the hopeful and worried expression on Sirius' face, Harry promptly decided to play down his symptoms.

"Yes, just a little tired though and my memory is a little hazy. I didn't hurt you too did I?"

"No, I'm fine, don't worry. What is going on though, Harry?" Sirius continued. "Remus said you were a werewolf?" Sirius asked incredulously.

Harry nodded. "I don't have time to explain now but yes, I chose to become a werewolf. I know it's difficult to understand but I feel like I truly belong with them. But I didn't just want to leave you and this life behind entirely though. So I've been spending my days here, and returned to my pack during the night."

"And you've been doing that for the last three days?"

Harry nodded.

"Yes, but Fenrir and I made a deal that I could do so if no one knew that I was a werewolf. He didn't think it was safe if anyone here knew or I would have told you. Remus found out tonight, and basically confirmed all of Fenrir's suspicions," Harry added, nodding toward Remus, who still remained bound by the vines.

Remus' face tinged a darker shade as he stared up at Harry guiltily.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen, Harry. I only wanted to protect you," Remus added once more.

Harry sighed. "I know that, but I don't know how far you would have went on your quest to 'protect me'. Besides, it doesn't matter. Fenrir and I had a deal that doesn't change anything. I can't stay here now-"

"No, you can't leave," Sirius interrupted pleadingly.

"I can't stay. You heard Remus, he'll only allow me to stay if I take that potion and never see Fenrir again."

"It doesn't matter what was said before!," Sirius returned fervently. "I can't say I fully understand what is going on here but I do know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that…if you truly want this Harry, I'll agree to it in a heartbeat. I won't tell anyone about your status as a magical creature now if you don't want me to, I won't make you take any potion, and I don't care if you go back to your…um pack whenever you want. Just don't tell me that you're leaving forever. I've lost you so many times already, please…I don't want to loose you again," Sirius ended imploringly. Harry didn't know what to say, he was speechless.

"Besides," Sirius continued. "Remus has changed his mind. He agrees with me now, don't you Remus?" Sirius asked leadingly.

Remus looked back up at Harry. "I don't believe in Fenrir's supposed good intentions anymore than I did before, but if this is the only way we can continue to see one another then…I agree with Sirius. And I apologize, Harry, I didn't realize how much…_this _meant to you," Remus added.

"Really?" Harry asked, surprised. Harry smiled happily and turned back to Fenrir questioningly. Perhaps things could continue as they had after all, Harry wondered.

"I can come back tomorrow then, can't I? I would be safer than I ever was before here, since Sirius and Remus both now know and accept what I have done," Harry clarified.

Fenrir shook his head. "I don't trust Remus. He betrayed me and my family years ago, and has just recently proven himself just as unworthy. Nothing assures me that he won't do so again."

"Remus would never hurt Harry, and I swear I would stop him if he tried to force his will over Harry's wishes again," Sirius argued.

"Oh and I am supposed to trust you, a wizard no less, with Remus' behavior?" Fenrir asked sarcastically.

"You don't need to trust Sirius, Fenrir. You can trust me on this, I give you my word!" Remus promised.

"It is Not enough," Fenrir returned, reaching out to grab Harry to lead him away.

Sirius turned beseechingly back to Remus when Fenrir separated him from his godson.

"Wait, Fenrir," Remus shouted, aware that if he didn't do something drastic and soon, he would never be able to see Harry again. "Marra Mond's-"

But Remus was cut off by Fenrir's roar. In the blink of an eye Fenrir had pushed Harry into the safety of Catherine's arms to stalk back to Remus once more.

"You Dare to speak her name in my presence!" Fenrir shouted.

Harry watched the scene confusedly as he wondered what Remus and Fenrir were arguing about now. But despite his curiosity, Harry's legs were beginning to feel a bit heavy. He leaned on Catherine for support. It was nice, Harry thought for a moment. Fenrir was there, and he felt safe. But then Remus was talking again, breaking the momentary silence that Fenrir's voice had caused.

"Yes, Marra Mond, your mother moon. I meant no disrespect. I only wanted to mention her in reference to a story you told me once. If I remember correctly you once told a tale that involved an unfaithful werewolf mate, who later found a way to commune directly with Marra Mond in order to gain back the trust of his lover."

Though still clearly angry, Fenrir nodded curtly nonetheless. "As you have no doubt already deduced, it was no mere story, but a historical account. I assume you bring this up now because you wish to use Marra Mond's Vow for your own purposes?"

"Would it gain your trust Fenrir?" Remus asked challengingly.

"Not my trust, but my confidence that you won't betray us once more at the very least."

After a moment's thought Fenrir released Remus' bindings as well. Remus stood while rubbing his wrists gingerly.

"If you are serious about undertaking this vow, be in the alley behind the house in three hours," Fenrir ordered before turning.

"Wait, where are you going?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"Look at your godson! This forsaken day along with your meddling has weakened him. He needs rest and food," Fenrir explained, clearly irritated as he turned back to Harry.

"Alright, then go. We will be here when you return," Sirius agreed as he looked anxiously at Harry.

"Just come back," Remus added. Fenrir turned back to glare at him a moment before ignoring him in favor of picking up Harry.

"Three hours, and fix your wards," Fenrir ordered before turning his back on Remus and Sirius.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Until Next time, thanks for reading!


	19. Patience is a Virtue

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters

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"What's going on?" Harry asked faintly as he realized that he was being picked up by Fenrir.

"Shh, nothing to worry about. Just taking you back home to rest." Fenrir replied.

Harry nodded and must have drifted off because the next thing he knew, he was in the sleeping den.

Harry bolted upright only to see Fenrir and Catherine kneeling beside him.

"What happened, how long did I sleep?" Harry questioned, worried that he had missed something important.

"Only a couple of minutes," Catherine informed while handing Harry a wooden plate of various meats. Harry took it gratefully and began eating immediately. Though the food helped a lot, Harry still felt weak, his body was sore. Harry wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but there were many questions he still had.

Once Harry finished, he looked expectantly up at Fenrir. "And how are Remus and Sirius, you didn't go back to…hurt them did you?" Harry asked.

"I said I would let them remain unharmed for now, I did not go back on my word."

Harry slumped a little in relief before remembering another, just as important issue.

"And what were you and Remus talking about before?"

"We were discussing Marra Mond's vow. It is an oath two werewolves make to each other. It is not to be taken lightly," Fenrir answered reservedly.

"And this vow, you two were talking about, it's- it's for me? Remus is going to go through with it for me?" Harry asked uncertainly, not sure his cloudy memory had correctly interpreted those last moments.

Fenrir nodded after a moment. "Yes, it seems you inspire _staunch loyalty _in Remus," Fenrir admitted, though the tone in which he spoken didn't make it sound like much of a compliment to Remus, Harry noted.

"Well…and what are you going to make Remus vow?" Harry asked a bit apprehensively.

"Enough to assure myself that neither he nor Sirius can pose any threat to you while you visit them during the day."

"Don't make it too hard for them-"

"Harry, I forbid you to worry about it for now. I will make sure to do what is in your best interests. However, for now I need to explain-"

Suddenly the doors to the sleeping den were opened a bit forcefully to reveal four frustrated looking werewolves.

"Fenrir we have waited long enough. By all rights we should have been able to make our claims known since this morning and yet you have made us delay until now. We demand our right to be acknowledged," one of the intruding werewolves demanded gruffly while his comrades all nodded in agreement.

Harry looked at the group a bit confusedly. He recognized them as young scouts, which was most surprising as the scouts were usually the most disciplined and respectful group of the pack.

Fenrir, however did not look surprised, though he did seem angry. Standing, Fenrir faced the group. "As guardian of the intended I am able to overrule those standards when I choose, as you should know, Render," Fenrir retorted.

"And yet you wish to make a claim yourself! You are clearly using your position to exclude us-" Render argued before being cut off.

"How dare you accuse me of such a crime. I am your lord and have always done my best for you," Fenrir forcefully returned as he advanced upon the group.

"Well in this case your best is clearly _not_ enough," Render replied angrily .

Harry winced at Render's words, knowing they were sure to enrage Fenrir. However, Harry doubted he would be able to stop Fenrir from giving out punishment this time even if he had completely understood what was going on.

Turning, Harry was relieved to see Catherine stand from her kneeling position beside him to step between Fenrir and the angry bunch of scouts.

"Enough," Catherine ordered, effectively cutting off Render's next string of words. Walking regally up to the group of toughened scouts, Catherine calmly faced Render straight on. And so it was a great surprise, especially to Harry, when Catherine raised her hand and slapped Render firmly across the face.

The action was performed so quickly that Harry might have thought it was an illusion if not for the red blotch that stood out on Render's cheek. Harry almost expected a fight to break out afterwards, but Render only touched his face lightly and winced, looking extremely humiliated.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Catherine began, her voice harsh. "After all that Fenrir has done for you, and you return the favor like this? If you think you could do a better job as leader of this pack, then follow the proper procedure and challenge him accordingly."

"Yes, Catherine," Render quickly agreed.

"So, do you want to issue a challenge to Fenrir for his position as leader of this pack? Do any of you?" Catherine dared.

The group of younger werewolves looked to Fenrir quickly, seeming to size up the formidable werewolf, before quickly shaking their heads.

"Then wait outside, Fenrir will deal with you in his own time," Catherine ordered. The group of intruding werewolves sighed and left without another word after being properly admonished.

"Thank you, Catherine," Fenrir replied tersely, still a bit tense.

"Not a problem my lord," Catherine answered.

"They will still need to be reprimanded further for their grievous indiscretion," Fenrir informed gravely.

Catherine smirked. "Of course. However, do try to not be too harsh on them. You know how the younger alphas get when a new mate becomes available," Catherine added quietly so that Harry could not hear.

"That is no excuse, they've gone too far."

"Perhaps," Catherine agreed. "However, they did have some small measure of reason to their arguments, though they went about voicing them in the wrong way."

"Your point?" Fenrir asked curtly.

"Only that it might be better if I were to explain the state of affairs to Harry. Then no one could accuse you of interfering," Catherine explained.

"Perhaps you are right," Fenrir replied after a moment's thought. "Fine, I will wait outside and give you some time to speak with Harry."

Turning, Catherine surveyed the boy in question. Harry was lying back down among his blanket pile, still clearly shaken up by what had happened earlier in the evening. Catherine walked towards him, emphasizing her usually silent footsteps so that the boy would hear her approach.

"Are you finished then," Harry asked a bit grumpily.

"Yes," Catherine answered simply as she kneeled down.

"So what were Fenrir and Render arguing about and why did Fenrir just leave?" Harry asked, flipping over to face Catherine as curiosity overcame his previous resentment at being excluded from Catherine's earlier conversation with Fenrir.

"Some of the pack members were just frustrated with how Fenrir was handling things," Catherine explained.

"That's an understatement," Harry muttered, remembering how angry Fenrir had looked. "Mind telling me what they were arguing about. Why would Render and the others dare to challenge Fenrir?" Harry asked. Harry had a sinking suspicion that he was somehow involved but hoped otherwise. After all, Fenrir was a powerful werewolf, he could of course be guardian to other werewolves that Harry had perhaps not heard about before.

But Catherine only sighed and looked Harry in the eye, as if sizing him up. The serious look made Harry tense. But then the moment was quickly broken and Catherine sat back, seeming to have found what she was looking for.

"You get along here quite well with us, Harry," Catherine began.

Harry nodded though it was clear from Catherine's tone that she was not asking a question.

"I must admit, that surprised me. Given your wizarding upbringing, I expected you to have much more trouble finding your place here. But you have adapted well, you are respectful to the others, and have a quiet strength about you that will only develop further as you mature."

Harry looked at Catherine, frankly surprised. The older werewolf was not one to give out random compliments, there had to be a catch. Harry's doubts were confirmed a moment later when Catherine continued.

"But you are not an Alpha."

Harry silently agreed. He had come to associate the term 'alpha' as leader during his time with the pack. Fenrir was an alpha, along with all of the heads of each of the families. Many, if not all of the scouts were alphas, though they didn't have such a high rank as the other alphas for the simple fact that most of them were not yet old enough or ready enough to lead their own family.

Not being an alpha was nothing to be ashamed of, Harry knew, it was simply a designation; one that Harry was frankly relieved not have. Harry was a clear leader in the wizarding world, circumstances made it that way. But being the sole leader was not what Harry really was or wanted to do. That was part of the reason that Harry so enjoyed living with the pack, he was not forced to be something other than what he truly felt.

"Yes, I know that I am not an Alpha, what does that have to do with anything?" Harry asked after a moment of silence.

"Simply that, although you have truly become part of our werewolf pack, there are still some things you have yet to realize."

Harry sighed and laid down again.

"And what does this have to do with my simple question about the argument," Harry asked, a bit frustrated that Catherine couldn't give him a clear answer.

Sitting here speaking with the formal older werewolf wasn't one his top priorities after all. Harry would have much rather went out to talk with Fenrir about what had happened earlier, or went with John and Karl to play one of their games that they were so fond of.

Seeming to know Harry's thoughts, Catherine simply smirked and continued. "We're getting to that part, Harry. I daresay you would rather it this way than if I were to simply spring this all on you at once. Now, is there anything you noticed that the werewolves just in here had in common?

Deciding that it would just be simpler to play along, Harry answered, "I think they were mostly scouts."

Catherine nodded. "Anything else?" She prodded, an expectant look on her face.

Something clicked in the back of Harry's mind. "Were they all alphas?" Harry asked, though he was already pretty sure he was right.

Catherine nodded. "You are correct. Now, there are three things that will cause conflict within a pack. Very rarely does a fight among pack members stem from a subject outside the area of these three."

"What are the three reasons?" Harry asked interestedly.

"The first reason is very quite simple. When a drought or some other natural occurrence causes a decline in the wildlife population, there is naturally less food for us to consume as well. If that happens the Alphas will challenge each other for food or relocate."

"But I thought food gathering was a group effort?" Harry asked, surprised that the pack… the family he had come to know would fight over food.

"It usually is. Fenrir is a good leader and there is plenty of food around for the entire pack. This problem only arises if there is a food shortage."

Harry nodded, "And the second reason?"

"If a pack grows beyond the limits of our territory, the Alphas will either fight over the remaining territory or choose to create their own pack elsewhere. However, it takes a long time for a pack to grow so large as that and does not occur as often as the other two."

"Alright, and the third reason?" Harry asked.

"And last, it is common for Alphas to be in competition for a mate."

"But I thought that the um…bearers chose their mates," Harry asked a bit worriedly.

"Oh they do, but the suitors are still aggressive towards one another and fights often break out between the suitors either on the bearer's request or of their own doing. You see, the earliest a submissive werewolf can take a mate is their 16th year. However, they are available to be courted at the beginning of their 15th year so that the submissive werewolf has ample time to get to know their suitors and so the suitors have enough time to woo their intended mate.

Harry listened to Catherine with wide eyes as what had happened suddenly made itself clear in Harry's mind.

"Those Alphas were here because of me?" Harry asked, still a bit disbelievingly.

Catherine nodded, "Yes, since today was your 15th birthday, they felt it was their right to declare their intentions towards you, as is the usual tradition. However, Fenrir knowing the busy day you had ahead of you, prevented them from doing so this morning. Their patience did not extend past this evening."

"Why would they be upset though, since obviously Fenrir was trying to do what was best?" Harry asked.

"Fenrir of course intends to court you as well." Catherine explained. "The other Alphas fear that he is using and will use his influence as your guardian to sway your decision," Catherine explained.

"Oh, so that's why you are explaining this instead of Fenrir," Harry replied.

Catherine nodded.

Harry sighed, starting to feel his fatigue starting to take over. "They have to listen to me right, like I can tell them what to do for example?" Harry asked after thinking for a moment, he felt a headache coming on as well.

Catherine smirked, "To some extent, yes."

"Then…well just tell them I can't deal with this too right now. I don't want a mate, not now, not next year and I will not choose anyone, in any case. They are wasting their time."

Catherine laid her hand on Harry's shoulder in an uncommon gesture of compassion. "Harry, you can set challenges for your suitors to complete, order them to participate in competitions of skill, things of that nature which would help you to decide who your best mate would be. But it is their right to have their claims heard at the very least."

"But…" Harry started, trying to put together a coherent argument, but he was simply too tired. Unable to do so, Harry simply said, "Tomorrow, I'll talk to them tomorrow, alright. I just need to rest for a second. Wake me when Fenrir leaves to make the vow with Remus?" Harry asked.

"I'll do that," Catherine agreed.

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"What happened?" Fenrir asked restlessly when Catherine exited the sleeping den.

"I told him what is to be expected. He seemed to take it well, though it is perhaps only because he has not yet had time to fully process what I said. He is sleeping now, but said he would hear their claims tomorrow," Catherine explained, eying the group of Alphas behind Fenrir who were clearly listening in on what was being said.

"Very well. However, tomorrow is the high moon, the first time Harry will be experiencing his complete transformation into his true form. Therefore the first day in which Harry will be available for proposals will be postponed until the day after tomorrow," Fenrir announced.

Fenrir, more than anyone else wanted to begin courting Harry, but Fenrir also realized that courting was the last thing on Harry's mind at this time. The young werewolf didn't need the extra distraction, especially on the day of his first transformation.

However, the other werewolves apparently did not feel the same.

"Certainly both can be accomplished in one day," Stefan, one of the other competing Alphas exclaimed.

"Nevertheless, we will wait until the day after tomorrow!" Fenrir shouted, unwilling to argue with his subordinates.

"Harry himself said that he would accept offers tomorrow, there is no reason for delay," Render disagreed.

Eyes narrowing in anger, Fenrir turned to face Stephan and Render, along with two other Alpha scouts who had yet to speak. The four werewolves made up some of Fenrir's most capable scouts. In most cases, they would be among Fenrir's most trusted as well. However in this case, Fenrir knew he would not be able to turn his back on them any time soon. Alphas, especially young ones like these, became impertinent, impulsive and oftentimes made extremely stupid decisions when a potential mate became available. Questioning Fenrir's decision multiple times in the course of one day was one example of a very stupid decision.

"The only necessary reason is that I will it, Render," Fenrir retorted, his voice taut with repressed ire.

"But-" Render began, unable to speak further for in that moment he was pounced upon by an enraged Fenrir.

Meeting the ground with a painful thud, Render tried fruitlessly to push himself up once more but was stopped by an unrelenting grip around his throat.

Fenrir squeezed for a moment longer before hissing spitefully into Render's ear. "You need to learn to hold your tongue Render, and simply _Listen._ I am the leader of this pack and as the head alpha, I expect my orders to be heeded without question," Fenrir spat before standing and wrenching Render along with him.

As Fenrir's fierce grip remained around his throat, Render had no choice but to follow along.

"Do you understand?" Fenrir asked with quiet but deadly force.

"Yes," Render quickly rasped out before Fenrir flung him away to land in an ungraceful heap upon the ground.

"Now get out of my site, all four of you!" Fenrir shouted. "And don't bother to return to the sleeping den tonight. If you want to act like common wolves, then you'll sleep like them out on the forest floor."

Render picked himself up tenderly, clearly favoring his right side, which he had landed on previously. Stephan and the other two werewolves, physically unharmed, rushed to do as Fenrir had ordered and practically ran to the relative safety that the closed in trees provided.

Once the four had left his sight, Fenrir turned to Catherine once more

"Watch over him while I'm gone," Fenrir ordered, pointing to the sleeping den to emphasize his point.

"You're leaving to meet with Remus?" Catherine asked.

Fenrir nodded curtly, turning to leave.

"Wait," Catherine added. "Harry wanted to accompany you-"

"Let him sleep. Besides, this is between Remus and I." Fenrir turned and left the clearing without waiting for Catherine's usual nod of acceptance.

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"I can't believe you, any of you!" Render shouted at his three comrades once they were all far enough away from the main clearing to not be heard. "Just standing there, while I fought for all of us-"

"Got pummeled for all of us, more like," Aaron replied sarcastically, while his long time friend, Charles, laughed in agreement.

"Oh shut it both you. Neither of you two did anything. You're all hopeless." Render despaired.

"Hey, I tried to help," Stephan interrupted, trying to defend himself.

"You said, one-ONE sentence, Stephan. That wasn't much help while I was getting the breath choked out of me!" Render retorted, his voice raspy, as he pointed to the thick blossoming bruise that was beginning to decorate his throat.

"What did you expect us to do?" Charles asked. "It's not like any of us could have pulled Fenrir off of you."

"Besides, if you keep pissing Fenrir off enough, he might just kill you off himself and that would leave us with one less competitor," Aaron quipped, leering at Render.

"What?!" Render shouted indignantly. "Sure, we all may be competitors soon, but Fenrir is the problem here. He's being completely unfair and unless we all unite against him, none of us will even have a small chance of mating with Harry."

"If you haven't noticed, Fenrir is probably the least of our worries. It will be even more difficult to convince Harry himself that one of us would be his best match," Charles added reasonably.

"Yes, It's obvious that this competition will be more difficult than usual." Stephan sighed and spotting one of his favorite trees nearby, sat quickly, unwilling to walk any longer. The other three werewolves joined him, naturally finding the most comfortable places available on the ground to sleep for the night.

"Don't worry about it, you're all going to loose anyway," Render announced spitefully, still angry that none of the others had bothered to help him before.

All three werewolves rolled their eyes, each certain in their own minds that they themselves would eventually win Harry's approval.

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Not wanting to waste any more time with Sirius, Fenrir simply returned to the alley, grabbed Remus and apparated the struggling werewolf away with him.

The two werewolves appeared in the middle of a meadow that took up much of the area in the valley below Fenrir's forest territory.

"Where is Harry?" Remus immediately demanded after regaining his bearings.

"He is safe, sleeping actually. He had a very trying day, no thanks to you," Fenrir added, unable to pass up the opportunity to insult his one-time friend again.

At least Remus had the decency to blush and look ashamed, Fenrir absently noted.

"I-I am sorry about that. I never meant to hurt-"

"Enough," Fenrir interrupted. "I don't need to hear your excuses again."

Remus nodded in agreement. "About the Vow then…"

"Yes, of course. In addition to protecting Harry and keeping your silence in regards to his status as a werewolf, I need you to agree to one more condition."

"Alright," Remus nodded quickly enough, though his wariness was still noticeable in his tone.

Taking that as the best response he was bound to get, Fenrir continued. "It's about what happened earlier," Fenrir stopped, unsure how to go on, how to explain exactly what he needed from Remus.

"You see, before Harry returned to his godfather, I and several others in my pack did our best to prepare him for the trial ahead of him."

"You mean you tried to teach him how to hide his werewolf qualities," Remus clarified.

"Yes, exactly. I thought that our knowledge would be enough, just enough to allow Harry to blend in with his wizard counterparts. What happened earlier has made me realize that I was wrong, very wrong."

"You want me to teach Harry how to act more as a wizard then?" Remus asked.

"More than that," Fenrir continued almost breathlessly. "Even I could teach him how to act as a wizard does, I did teach him that. I need you to go a step further. I need you to teach him to _see _as a wizard sees and to _feel _as a wizard feels. Only you who have denied your true self for so long, you who abhor our very name and forsake our way of life with your every breath can teach him this. If you agree to protect Harry, keep our secrets, and teach Harry what I can not…only then I will allow Harry to return to you and _the wizards_," Fenrir hissed.

"Do you agree?" Fenrir asked.

Instead of answering Remus couldn't help but ask, "Why? It is obvious that you loath my presence, hate wizards, and don't want this to happen. I don't understand why you would go through such trouble?"

Fenrir thought a moment before answering. "I learned a long time ago that you can not force another to remain by your side. I am certain that if I forced Harry to remain in the safety of my territory and forbid him to see his old friends, he would come to hate me more than you ever could."

"I am glad to see that you have learned that at the very least," Remus replied sardonically.

Ignoring Remus' attitude once more, Fenrir simply asked, "Do you agree?"

It took only a moment for Remus to nod. "Yes, I agree."

"Then hold out your hands and let the Vow begin," Fenrir intoned, staring resolutely into Remus' eyes, pleased to see the tiniest hint of fear in them.

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Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who has left a comment, it's really helped to motivate me to start writing again!


	20. It's all in the Mind

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

* * *

Harry awoke to see Fenrir sitting calmly next to him, as he silently surveyed the area. Sitting up quickly Harry spoke,

"What time is it?"

"Early morning," Fenrir replied.

"Did you sleep at all?" Harry asked incredulously. Werewolves usually didn't sleep that much in any case, but the way Fenrir held himself so still, it made Harry think that the alpha hadn't moved in a while at least.

"No, after you fell asleep I disciplined several unruly members of my pack and then I met with Remus-"

"You already met with Remus?" Harry interrupted. "I wanted to be there too," Harry argued.

Fenrir, silently rose a hand.

"It has been done. The vow was a very private affair between Remus and I. However, I promise you, I did not make any outrageous demands upon him."

Though Harry was happy to hear that, he was still a little miffed at not being able to join.

"The vow was successful," Fenrir continued. "You may return to visit your godfather whenever you wish."

The news easily lifted Harry's spirits. "Really, whenever I want? And I don't have to hide in front of them?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Correct. But no one else, remember. Just because your godfather and Remus are aware, does not mean that we can trust any others."

Harry nodded, knowing that he would lose any argument in regards to this subject.

"So, what are we doing today?" Harry asked, perking up and starting to feel more awake.

"That is of course up to you. If you wish to visit your godfather though, you will have to return here a bit earlier to prepare for your first transformation."

"What about the others?" Harry asked a bit nervously

"The who?" Fenrir asked.

"The-the alphas, the ones that were here yesterday," Harry explained. "Don't I have to meet them today for the ah-ceremony…thing?" Harry stuttered through the last bit, unsure what to say.

Fenrir smiled a bit, noticing Harry's nervousness before answering. "You don't have to meet when them today, not if you don't want to. I convinced them to wait an extra day."

"Convinced? Do the other suitors happen to be the members of your pack that you disciplined yesterday?" Harry asked innocently.

"Perhaps," Fenri replied, with a mischievous smile.

* * *

Harry walked back into Grimmauld place with a fair amount of trepidation. Fenrir had already explained what he had had Remus vow and that Harry had no reason to fear Remus in the future.

But that still didn't eliminate all the worry. Harry knew it would take time to forgive Remus completely.

Summoning up some extra resolve, Harry walked through the back door of Grimmauld place, as he no longer had to use the upstairs window. He easily found Sirius and Remus in the kitchen, both with matching cups of coffee. Neither looked as if they had slept much the night before.

Greeting his godson, Sirius stood to wrap Harry in a strong hug.

"Fenrir allowed you to return," Sirius began gladly.

Harry nodded, smiling. "He did, I'm happy to say. Though it was a close thing there for a moment," Harry continued, eyes darting to Remus.

Remus stood as well, looking uncomfortable. "I truly am sorry for…before. I didn't realize that you truly wanted this kind of life. Last night, I vowed to Fenrir that I would keep your secret and protect you with my life while you stay with us. I intend to keep that promise," Remus stated, looking straight into Harry's eyes.

Harry nodded. "Hopefully that last part won't be necessary, Remus. But thanks for agreeing to keep my secret."

Harry embraced Remus as well tentatively. And then they were all three sitting at the kitchen table once more. Things were so much like before, and yet at the same time everything was so much changed.

Sirius silently pushed a mug of coffee in front of Harry as well, his familiar smirk firmly in place. It was then that Harry realized that the important things between his wizard family would never change.

Returning Sirius' smile, Harry began, "So what happened last night after I left?"

"Well after the vow, I returned here and Sirius and I talked for quite a while," Remus answered evenly.

"About?" Harry asked.

"Well, now that Fenrir and I have made a peace you could say, I have decided to abandon my place within the packs to the east. They are fragmented now, and I could better serve our cause here."

"Really? So you can spend more time with us then?" Harry asked, very happy about this new idea.

"Yes, that is the plan, Harry," Sirius broke in. "Oh, and I've suggested that we purchase a flat in Hogsmead. It'd be a way that Remus and I could be closer to you during the school year. And it won't be nearly as dreary as this place," Sirius added.

"Wow, you two did talk a lot last night. This sounds great," Harry replied, happy that things were coming along so well.

The three talked excitedly about their proposed plan. Sirius suggest that they get a flat near Honeydukes so that Harry could easily come to see them whenever he needed to by using the hidden tunnel.

Harry added that he didn't even need the invisibility cloak any longer, since Fenrir had recently taught him how summon the air around his body to conceal it from others.

Sirius was very impressed by this and started a lengthy question session about all the other kinds of magic Harry could do as a natural werewolf.

Harry was enjoying the conversation but he could tell that Remus had something else he wanted to talk about.

Sirius seemed to notice too, for he stopped with his questions about Harry's new abilities.

Instead he continued on in a more serious tone.

"Harry, about last night, do you know what happened?"

"Well-" Harry began.

"Sirius means, do you understand why you acted the way you did. The anger you felt towards me, do you know where it came from?"

Harry wanted to reply that he of course understood exactly what had happened. But after a moment's thought, he realized he couldn't. It was a bit weird actually, that the question hadn't crossed his mind sooner.

To be honest though, Harry reminded himself, it had all felt so natural. It had seemed right at the time to feel anger towards Remus and to want to bite him, fight him, make him- Harry's thoughts suddenly stopped.

Harry almost couldn't believe he had just thought that. How could he think it was right to fight his old friend? Even if that friend had deserved it the night before, that didn't seem the kind of thought that would enter into his logical mind. It didn't seem the kind of thought that would enter into his right mind anyway, his _human _mind. And then it made sense.

"I was thinking like a wolf thinks," Harry muttered.

Remus nodded. "That is one way to put it. After this evening, and your first transformation, such a mental change as the one you experienced last night will be accompanied by a physical change as well. You can see how this may create problems in the future."

Harry nodded, his good mood had vanished and was now taken over by one of pressing gloom.

"In most cases, your ability to change in between moon phases would be highly regarded for it is not so easily accomplished, even among pure-blooded werewolves. However, it presents certain problems for us, considering that you wish to live among humans and wizards," Remus explained.

"What can I do?" Harry asked.

"Wolfsbane potion would inhibit any changes that might occur," Remus began, but after receiving a dark look from Harry, he quickly moved on.

"There is another approach."

"Let's hear it then," Harry replied, feeling exasperated.

"It's called Occlumency," Sirius explained simply.

"Occlu-what?" Harry asked, he hadn't even heard of it before.

"Occlumency, but you wouldn't really be learning the complete art, we could not teach you that. But we can teach you the beginning steps. Enough to teach you how to keep control of your emotions," Remus elaborated.

"Wait, back up. I don't understand."

"Transformations between moon phases are triggered by strong emotions, particularly fear or anger. Occlumency is the art of guarding the mind against invasion by a legilimens. However, the beginning stages of learning Occlumency is learning how to control your emotions. We will show you these beginning lessons, allowing you to remain in control of your human mind even when you feel threatened," Remus finished calmly.

After a moment of thought Harry replied, "That sounds like a good plan. But why can't I learn all of Occlumency? You said something about guarding your mind. I don't want anyone able to read my mind," Harry shuddered with the very thought.

"Well, you see Harry, learning Occlumency completely, that is a very difficult skill to achieve. And considering that only a handful of wizards are able to use legilimency, it is for the most part, not necessary to learn the art fully," Sirius added.

"Do I know anyone that knows legilimency?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but it matters little. Dumbledore, Snape, and Voldemort know legilimency. But Dumbledore wouldn't use it against you, nor would he allow Snape to either. Legilimency is a border line dark art, and can only be used with someone's permission. Reading someone's mind with out their permission can get you a stay in Azkaban," Sirius noted with a slight tremble to his voice.

"I highly doubt that Voldemort would care about a stay in Azkaban," Harry retorted.

"Legilimency requires eye contact. And truthfully Harry, if Voldemort gets close enough to you to be able to have direct eye contact with you, whether or not he knows you're a werewolf will be the least of our problems," Remus sighed.

Harry shrugged. "I'd still like to learn Occlumency though," Harry protested.

"Neither Sirius nor I know enough Occlumency to ward off a direct attack, we can only teach you the basics," Remus explained.

"You could technically teach yourself Occlumency, there are books on the discipline, but you would never have any idea if you were gaining any progress," Sirius added hopefully.

"Unless I went to Dumbledore, Snape, or Voldemort you mean," Harry sighed.

Remus and Sirius shrugged.

"Harry, the point of the exercises will be to ensure that you can keep your emotions in check so that you will not accidentally transform into a werewolf between moon phases. You will be able to accomplish this. No one expects you to learn Occlumency completely on top of that. It is unnecessary," Remus comforted.

Harry nodded, though the idea of learning Occlumency completely still held some interest for him.

* * *

It was decided that learning to control his emotions could be postponed for the next day, since there weren't any group meetings planned for a while. Instead Remus, Sirius, and Harry spent a leisurely day at home, with no distractions. It was a rare opportunity to simply spend time with his wizarding family, which Harry enjoyed.

They were all sitting in the kitchen again later that day, when they heard the floo system roar to life.

Harry shot to his feet, suddenly nervous. It was true that only Order members had unlimited access to Sirius' home, but Harry suddenly had the urge to run.

Sirius pushed Harry back into his chair. "Calm down, it'll be fine," Sirius replied, standing, though his voice was tense as well.

"You know who it is?" Harry asked, his voice now a whisper as the footsteps drew closer.

Remus nodded jerkily, looking uncomfortable.

A moment later Snape appeared at the entrance to the kitchen. He walked swiftly through the room and opened a cupboard to take out a pot.

Harry glared at Snape's back, until he remembered what Remus had said about Occlumency and direct eye contact before looking away. Harry resolved never to even look in Snape's direction ever again.

"You said you would arrive this evening Severus, still several hours from now," Remus prompted, breaking the silence.

"Change of plans," Snape began curtly as he took the pot he had grabbed and put it on the stove.

"I will not be available this evening. I trust you will be able keep this potion on a low boil until tonight? Quite simple really, even someone of your limited ability should be able to complete it," Snape went on, in his usual acerbic tone.

Sirius growled lowly under his breath.

"Oh please, Black, you are fortunate that I had the base for this complicated potion in stock. Otherwise that owl Lupin sent this morning would have returned with only simple instructions to find the nearest forest and try to stay away from innocent children. Instead, I graciously agreed to bring you the potion that you asked for. You should be thanking me," Snape added, as he poured the contents of a vial he had brought with him into the pot and turned on the magical stove.

"You-" Sirius began angrily only to be cut off by Remus.

"Thank You," Remus quickly said, looking pointedly at Sirius and pushing him back into his chair.

Snape stirred the mixture one more time before turning around.

"If that is all you need, then I will be off," Snape ended curtly.

And then he was gone. All in all, the encounter probably lasted at the most, five minutes.

Harry walked over to the now bubbling concoction only to back away quickly from it. It had smelled absolutely awful. It made his eyes water and his throat constrict.

"Is that what I think it is?" Harry asked, turning to Remus.

Remus nodded. "Yes, it is the Wolfsbane potion, Harry. But it's only for me, I wasn't going to make you take it."

"And that is supposed to make me feel better? That you asked for poison, not for me, but for yourself instead," Harry questioned angrily.

"It's not poison Harry, it helps me keep my mind during the transformation. You experienced the awareness of the werewolf last night. You wanted to hurt me then, don't deny it, Harry. I deserved it, in that case. But what if I had been someone else, what if Fenrir hadn't been there? You could have killed me, Harry. Can you tell me that you are comfortable with that? I personally do not enjoy being in the state of mind where that is possible. This potion helps keep me sane."

"It doesn't have to be this way though," Harry argued pleadingly. "You can come with me and the pack. You won't hurt anyone there. Fenrir has told-"

"Don't!" Remus shouted, his voice strained. "Don't bring up Fenrir or what he has apparently told you. I made peace with him, only for you, Harry. But in this situation, the choice is completely up to me. I have accepted your decision, now it's time for you to accept mine."

* * *

Harry left Remus and Sirius soon after, partly because he had to leave early, and partly because he needed time to think. Harry realized that even though he thought Remus was wrong, it wasn't his place to decide what Remus should do. It didn't make him any less angry at the situation though. Harry simply wished that Remus wouldn't feel such an aversion to his werewolf side.

There was little Harry could do about it at this point though. The sun would soon set, and he was sitting with Fenrir and Catherine in the Dinning Hall. The pack had all just finished eating and everyone else had already left, leaving the three the room to themselves.

"You are sure it doesn't hurt?" Harry asked nervously.

"Only if you fight the change, Harry," Catherine replied comfortingly.

Harry nodded.

"Now, Harry," Fenrir continued. "It is very important that you stay with Catherine tonight. Stay near her alright?"

Harry nodded, he had been told the same directions several times before, he wasn't exactly sure why.

"I don't mind, but why exactly do I have to stay with Catherine? Is it a safety thing, because there might be other animals out there? Couldn't I just stay with you then Fenrir, it would be in public, so I could still stay with you right?" Harry asked.

"Usually you would. However, when we are in our wolf forms, it is better if the unmated submissives stay away from the unmated alphas. Once you choose a mate, you won't have to worry about such things."

"Why does Catherine have to protect me from the unmated alphas?" Harry asked, starting to get very confused.

"It's just one of our rules, mostly for the safety of the submissives. Some of the unmated Alphas do not have such patience and control when they are in their wolf forms, especially the Alphas that have been recently changed. It is easier on everyone if such temptation was not present," Fenrir explained carefully, looking a bit uncomfortable.

It was obvious that Fenrir didn't want to go into more detail so Harry didn't ask anything else.

Still having some work to get to before the end of the day, Fenrir left soon afterwards, leaving Harry in Catherine's company.

"You still have more questions?" Catherine asked.

Harry nodded, happy that Catherine was offering to explain.

"Then let me see if I can make this more clear. It is sometimes hard for Fenrir to explain these things to you, he doesn't want you to have to worry for anything and doesn't like the thought of any other Alpha having feelings towards you. But I'm getting away from myself. The main point is that, most of the werewolves in this pack that are planning on courting you are young Alphas, recently turned. The rules are in place so that if they try to mate with you, I will be able to protect you."

"Oh," Harry simply said, astounded at how blunt Catherine could be at times.

Crossing his arms, Harry continued his question. "So they would do that to me against my will then," Harry surmised, thinking of another related question. "And Remus said something yesterday, that I would have killed him, if Fenrir hadn't been there. Is that true?" Harry wondered aloud, already looking guilty

"No, it isn't," Catherine said with such conviction it made Harry look up.

"That type of thinking is what wizards use against us to forget that we have rights just like any other being. Being a werewolf doesn't suddenly make you monster. It only makes your true self manifest. If you were prone to violence as a human, you would be more so inclined to that method as a werewolf. True, this does make us dangerous to outsiders and makes them think that we are wild and uncivilized. However, I think in a way, it simply makes us more truthful. A werewolf in its wolf form can not lie or make false appearances, you are who you truly are when you are in your natural form, Harry. So, to answer your question, I do not believe you would have killed Remus. You attacked to defend yourself, it was not an offense driven by bloodlust. And since it is obvious that you truly do not want Remus dead, you would not have killed him even as a werewolf."

Harry nodded thoughtfully, happy to hear that he probably would not have killed Remus after all.

"And about the other Alphas," Catherine continued. "I doubt any of them would really force themselves on you. The division between you all at this point is mostly due to traditional boundaries between intended mating couples. In fact, I've never before had to defend one of my charges during the high moon from an over zealous Alpha. My job becomes more important though, during the later months." Catherine explained.

"Why's that?"

"Remember what I told you, how if one feels anger, they feel it more completely as a werewolf, which leads them to violence more easily? The same is true with other emotions as well. Even though none of the other Alphas would probably force themselves on you, I doubt any one of them would have the presence of mind as a werewolf to refuse you if you were to solicit one of their advances, even though you are still too young at this point. I more often than not have had to subdue my submissive charges before I have had to fight off an Alpha," Catherine smirked, glancing at Harry.

Harry blushed.

"But I haven't-chosen anyone, you know, so…." Harry trailed off.

"Then we have nothing to worry about then, do we?" Catherine asked, still smiling. "I'm only saying, that if you were to feel any romantic feelings for one of your intended, you would be more likely to act on it as a werewolf. Which is no worry, since I will be there to stop that from happening as well."

"I don't though, I'm not choosing a mate," Harry repeated, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself than Catherine.

Catherine nodded, giving Harry an encouraging smile. "Let's get ready then, shall we? I do believe it is almost time."

* * *

Harry stood in the clearing with most of his pack. The only ones missing were Fenrir and the several other werewolves that were intending on courting him. They had all left a little earlier to get a head start and would be staying out all night. Harry tried not to wonder where they headed.

Harry picked at the sleeve of his shirt anxiously. Fenrir had told him that their clothes, unlike wizarding clothing, naturally change along with the transformation, so Harry wouldn't be waking up naked at least.

That didn't make him any less nervous though. Catherine's conversation with him, though very informative, still didn't allay his fears completely. It was good to know that staying away from the Alphas was mostly due to tradition and not any real danger that they might jump him at any given moment, but that didn't mean he had nothing to worry about.

Harry wondered what would happen if he had subconsciously chosen a mate already, and he didn't know about it, but his werewolf side did? What if then he actually did get away from Catherine and ended up finding the mate his werewolf side had chosen?

Harry's heart started beating a little more frightfully. Of course his mate would not resist him if he was willing, that was what Catherine had said.

What if he ended up pregnant! Harry wasn't exactly sure how that worked, and hadn't had the courage to actually bring it up yet. Not that he needed to, Harry reminded himself, since he was _not_ going to go looking for a mate.

But then the moon started to rise, and there was no time left to think.

Harry did his best to remain calm and not fight the change. He closed his eyes tightly, concentrating completely on trying to remain calm. Harry started as he realized he could feel something on his face. Harry opened his eyes to see the moon glowing up above his head in the clearing. It was the moon's rays on his face that he had felt, he realized.

That confused Harry, since he had never really felt the moon like that before. It felt nice though, not as warm and glaring as the sun. It was…accepting.

Harry didn't get a chance to consider how light could feel accepting because suddenly his body felt very loose. He felt like water, and he was flowing from one from one vessel into another that was shaped differently.

Harry blinked and though he was expecting it, he was still a bit surprised to see himself surrounded by werewolves.

And then Harry noticed that they were all mostly the same height, which meant he had transformed correctly! Harry smiled, feeling happy, but it was weird feeling his lips move over his now, very sharp teeth.

* * *

Voldemort looked out along the long table of which he sat at the head of. There were perhaps 10 of his supporters sitting quietly along both sides.

They ranged from his loyal and devoted servants to adherents of circumstance. Though they were all devoted to him to varying degrees, he knew they all had the same end goal, and that was what was important. They all simply wanted the reconstruction of the entirety of the wizarding world. Among him sat, members of wizarding parliament, board members of the greatest school in Britain, and heads of some of the wealthiest families in the nation. Tactitians all of them, these would be the people that would help him on the way to greatness.

Clearing his throat, Voldemort began.

"Thank you all for coming here this evening. The purpose of this meeting will be to lay the ground work for our eventual take over of the government of wizarding Britain. This time around we will change our tactics. I don't believe the ministry has accepted my return as of yet?"

"No sir," Andre Mathus spoke, secretary to the minister. "They are denying your return. The minister believes that Harry Potter and Headmaster Dumbledore are working in concert to set the public into a panic in order to garner more power for themselves."

"Good," Voldemort nodded. "Let's try to keep it that way shall we? We have already tried violent uprisings, it did not work as well as I had hoped. This time I intend to use a more subtle approach. We will stay hidden as long as possible until we launch our first and last attack upon our enemies, at the end of which we will have gained complete control."

The group nodded in assent.

"Now, I want to be able to have unlimited access to Hogwarts. Lucius, I expect you to find or make a weakness in the wards so that I will be able to breach them at the appropriate time-"

Voldemort stopped, his vision suddenly swimming. Swaying his chair, Voldemort had hardly a chance to wonder what was happening before he suddenly saw a thickly wooded forest before him. He had the sensation of running and felt an intense feeling of happiness flowing through his veins.

It was the blissful feeling that alerted him quickest that what he was experiencing was someone else's reality.

Once he realized that, it wasn't long before he was able to recognize who's presence he was in. Looking around another moment, seeing paws carrying him swiftly below, Voldemort then made a conscious effort to return to his own mind.

"My lord, are you alright?" Severus asked beside him.

Shaking his head to clear his vision, Voldemort quickly nodded. "Yes, I am fine. There is just some…lingering effects from coming back from the dead," Voldemort explained, making the excuse up easily.

Voldemort quickly went on to the next topic. And for the next hour plans were made steadily for the coming year to ensure that the infrastructure of the wizarding government was significantly weakened while keeping the return of Voldemort and his death eaters guarded and unknown to the public at large.

Dismissing his servants summarily, Voldemort sat back to ponder what he had seen in his vision.

It was obvious that he was seeing through the Potter boy's eyes. But he almost couldn't believe what he had been seeing. If his mind wasn't betraying him, he would say that Potter had been a wolf. Could the boy have been changed?

It would be possible, as tonight was the full moon. But Severus had told him that Potter would be returning to Hogwarts the next year.

Would Fenrir allow Potter to return to Hogwarts as a werewolf? It seemed so, but then he doubted that Dumbledore would allow that, at least not without taking the Wolfsbane potion, which Voldemort knew Fenrir would never allow.

It was all very confusing. After thinking several moments Voldemort came to the conclusion that Potter was returning to Hogwarts with Fenrir's permission, but had most likely not told Dumbledore about his new status as a werewolf.

Voldemort resolved to check his assumptions through their newly discovered link in the future, though he was already fairly sure he was correct in his assessment of the situation.

But what to do about it? His plans for the future were built upon the assumption that he was going to be fighting primarily against the wizards.

Fighting against only the wizarding world was going to be hard enough. Would the werewolf packs unite against him if Harry was injured or killed when he eventually took over Hogwarts?

Voldemort sighed in frustration. He didn't like dealing with so many unknowns. And he especially didn't like having to deal with an enemy he knew was stronger than himself, an enemy he couldn't intimidate.

And if Harry was a werewolf too now…well that was a bit worrisome. Voldemort was sick of always having to take werewolves into separate consideration. He needed a way to nullify their power.

But natural magic could not be learned in the conventional way, it is a wild entity, controlled by the werewolves through their connection to nature.

It angered Voldemort that Potter had suddenly come into such power. It was not right, Voldemort reasoned, that the boy should have access to such magic that he did not.

If only he could somehow get access to that power. It was not so impossible.

Potter had the ability to speak Parseltongue after all, and power exchanges were not unheard of.

And if Voldemort could someone access natural magic he would no longer have to fear anything from the werewolves and they could be just as easily subjugated at the rest of wizarding world. The idea warranted thought. Perhaps, it could be done and fit in with the rest of his plans?

* * *

Thanks for reading! I hope everything made sense.


	21. Summer's end

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

Harry woke up in the sleeping den like usual. The only difference was that Fenrir was not present. Harry told himself he didn't miss the presence of the older werewolf when he awoke.

It was a small price to pay though for what he got to experience the night before. Being in his werewolf form was simply the most amazing feeling he had ever had.

It wasn't merely the strength he had found in his limbs or the speed available to him as a werewolf, it was the all encompassing freedom.

Everything was boundless, his body, his mind. There were no second guesses as a werewolf, there was only you, your pack and the earth.

Harry in his werewolf mind didn't have to worry about impressing anyone, or trying to be someone he wasn't.

However, Harry didn't have much time to continue thinking in awe of the night before, as suddenly he was pounced on from all sides.

Seeing as he was in the sleeping den surrounded by his pack, Harry knew it wasn't an attack and simply curled up into a tighter ball.

"Get off!" Harry ordered, trying to sound intimidating, it didn't work that well as his voice was muffled by the many blankets that were covering him.

The next moment Harry heard John and Karl laughing from somewhere above him.

"Come on, wakey wakey, Harry!" Karl taunted. And then there was a heavy weight crouching on Harry's back.

Harry wouldn't be surprised if Karl was now using him as a chair and was sitting on him completely.

Before he was changed, Harry was pretty sure the weight would have probably crushed his ribs but now the weight was just an uncomfortable pressure.

"Really?! The sun hasn't even risen yet!" Harry shouted, finally pulling down his blankets and forcefully pushing Karl off of him. Harry was happy when he was able to easily make Karl fall to floor.

Following through with his advantage, Harry leaped up from his bedding and pounced on Karl, determined to get even with Karl for waking him up early. After wrestling around for several moments, Harry finally got the upper hand and had pinned Karl to the floor.

Laughing with triumph, for pinning Karl down was not an easy feat even for a werewolf, Harry grinned.

"Not so tough now though are you Karl," Harry taunted good naturedly.

Growling, Karl flipped suddenly, sending Harry tumbling off to the side with a yelp of indignation.

"Yea, now it's at least a challenge brawling with you," Karl admitted, standing to help Harry to his feet.

"Remember before, John?" Karl asked. "When Harry was still human? Everyday it was, 'don't be rough with him, don't mock-fight with him, and I swear, if Harry receives even a scratch while he is in your care!'" Karl added, imitating Fenrir's deep resounding voice.

Harry blushed. "What, he really said that?" Harry asked a bit embarrassedly.

John and Karl, who were already laughing uncontrollably, nodded.

Glaring, Harry stalked up to his two still giggling friends and punched each of their arms soundly.

"Ow!" John shouted dramatically, now holding his offended limb.

"Well Fenrir has no reason to say it now so be quiet about it, and I will get you one day, Karl!" Harry returned, finding it hard not to laugh himself.

Merri cleared her throat then. "Excuse me, but if you two fools haven't forgotten, there was a reason we woke Harry up early today, or don't you remember?" Merri asked, eyeing John and Karl.

"Oh yea," John began sheepishly.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"You are being solicited today, are you not?" Merri asked.

"Oh," Harry sighed. He had forgotten that today he would have to hear the claims of several of the other Alphas. It was a waste of time in his mind.

"I am," Harry continued. "But I don't see why I'd have to wake up early for that reason. I was planning on hearing them out later on today and just get it over with, no big deal," Harry finished, shrugging his shoulders.

"No big deal?" Merri asked, clucking her tongue disapprovingly. "This is the first step in choosing your future mate. A mate you will have for the rest of your life," Merri stressed. "Of course it is important."

Harry shook his head, smiling. "But you are forgetting, Merri, I don't plan on accepting any of their proposals, at least not this year."

Merri looked a little put out at that, but brightened soon after. "Well, we'll just wait and see. In the mean time, this is still a very important ceremony."

"Ceremony? Another one? Why can't they just come up to me and ask to be recognized, really this is all very unnecessary."

Merri scoffed. "No, it is necessary, you wish to go against tradition!" Merri whispered in a fierce undertone.

Harry shook his head quickly, not wanting up upset Merri further.

"Alright, no problem. Ceremony, I got it. What am I supposed to do?" Harry asked resignedly as he glared at John and Karl who were still laughing silently.

* * *

"You're trying to make me look like a girl," Harry accused as he eyed the many multi-colored pastes that Merri had spread out before him, each in their own tiny bowl. Harry had made no complaint when he had to take the special bath or put on the white ceremonial robes, but really, wearing makeup was the end of the line.

"Come on, Harry, don't you want to look presentable?" Merri asked in the gently cajoling voice she had been using for most of the morning.

"I look fine how I am," Harry replied, crossing his arms.

"But Harry, just imaginehow _much _Fenrir will be pleased with your appearance," Karl broke in with a leering undertone.

"Will you Shut Up!" Harry practically squawked, blushing. Karl had been making vulgar insinuations all morning and it was not helping Harry's nerves at all.

"Alright, that's it, you two!" Merri shouted sternly before pushing John and Karl out of the main area of the bathing house.

"Hey, I didn't do anything!" John objected.

Merri scoffed. "Both you and your brother have been nothing but trouble today, you can come back when you grow up."

"No Fair-" But no one got to hear what else Karl meant to say because Merri firmly slammed the door on his face.

"Thanks," Harry said softly.

"No problem. Now, what's this business about you thinking I'm trying to make you look like a girl?"

Harry nodded towards the colored bowls. "That's makeup isn't it?" Harry asked.

"In a way, I guess, but it's more like body paint. And it's purpose isn't to make you look girly," Merri informed, leading Harry to sit once more.

"First I would make this symbol here," Merri began, tracing her fingers along Harry's forehead. "It is the symbol of our pack."

It tickled but felt nice and Harry thought the shape resembled a V, that was what it felt like anyway.

"And here, on both sides of your cheek, is the shape showing that you are a submissive werewolf," Merri's fingers danced along, making two S shapes on either side of Harry's face.

Merri went on, describing the symbols she would draw and their meanings.

"There are other types of symbols used for other ceremonies, such as bonding ceremonies, funeral ceremonies. They are tradition, it's not a scheme to embarrass you, Harry."

Harry nodded.

"Alright, I'll go along with it then," Harry conceded, allowing Merri to begin painting his face and arms. "I can't wait 'till John and Karl have to go through this though. See how they like it."

Merri laughed at the thought. "Shame they aren't subs though."

Harry shrugged. "Still, the Alphs have to do other things, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to embarrass them."

"True, and you have a long time to perfect your plan."

"You think it would take them a long time to settle down then?" Harry asked.

"Well, it's not just that. In werewolf packs, not every alpha will always mate. If every alpha had a family, it would make the pack as a whole weaker, since it takes a lot of time and energy to raise a cub. So the head alpha, Fenrir in our case, decides who can and can't mate with the available submissive werewolves. And since there are naturally a lot less submissive werewolves, there is fierce competition and generally only the more experienced alphas are given the honor to compete."

"Hold on, if Fenrir can decide who can compete, and he is competing as well, why doesn't he just forbid the other alphas from proposing?" Harry asked.

"He wants to give you options, silly," Merri chided.

Harry didn't know what to say to that, but the thought made something in his chest warm.

"There!" Merri declared proudly. "I've finished."

* * *

Harry didn't mind the paint actually. The symbols all sort of merged together to look like a single mask of color.

It didn't make him look girly at all, wild or dangerous maybe, Harry thought. Well, he should look wild and dangerous today, because he was in charge today. Harry was happy to hear that he got to decide a lot of parts involved with the ceremony.

Harry got to choose where they would meet, in which order he would see the alphas, and how long they each were allowed to explain their gifts and intentions.

Harry considered not allowing any of them to talk at all, which would be a bit funny. But, that was probably a little rude and besides, Harry was curious as to why they would propose to him in any case.

So after Merri finished getting Harry ready, Harry decided that the ceremony would take place on the rock face that over looked most of the valley below. It was a calm area and Harry was comfortable there, so it seemed like a good enough place.

When Merri and Catherine asked him in which order he would like to hear the alphas, Harry immediately thought to name Fenrir first, but then thought that that might make the other alphas a bit rowdy so he changed order around, and made Fenrir last, knowing that the older werewolf wouldn't read anything into it.

Catherine sat with Harry quietly as Merri went to get the first alpha.

A couple minutes later Merri reappeared, the first claimant trailing after her. Harry immediately recognized him as Aaron.

Aaron was easily the most conventionally handsome of the group, with golden hair and inquisitive blue eyes. He appeared knowledgeable nonetheless and had a worldly look about him. Which made sense, as Catherine had told Harry earlier that Aaron had traveled to many far off places as a scientist during his previous life as a muggle.

Aaron smiled and walked confidently before Harry and kneeled.

"I am Aaron, of the Alderen clan, and I come before you in supplication and to ask for your approval in my quest to win your affection, praise, and devotion," Aaron began solemnly.

Harry nodded, looking to Catherine. "I acknowledge your claim and will now accept the gift of your intention."

Aaron smiled and handed Harry a small package wrapped in large green leaves.

Harry opened the package carefully to reveal an exotic looking flower.

"It is a Red Balthazar, the leaves when ground up can be made into a very strong healing potion. It is very rare and the only one of its kind I have ever found on my travels."

Harry nodded, grateful for the gift before setting it aside. Harry was a lot more calm now that the formal part of the meeting was finished. Now Harry could either dismiss the alpha or continue speaking to the werewolf.

Harry voiced the question that he had decided he would ask each candidate.

"And what made you decide to compete for…me?" Harry asked, waving vaguely, he didn't really know how else to put it.

Aaron smiled. "I love adventure. And I've heard many tales about your adventures from some of the other wizard raised werewolves so I thought we would make a good pair. I want to continue roaming the world, and thought that perhaps you would be a good companion," Aaron answered.

Harry nodded, pleased at the seeming honest response.

"Thank you for the flower, Aaron, you may go."

Aaron nodded and quickly got up to leave.

"See, that wasn't so bad," Catherine comforted.

"Yea, and the flower seems useful at least," Harry shrugged. "Send the next one then."

Render was next and Harry found he disliked him immediately. The alpha walked with an arrogant swagger that Harry hadn't noticed before and it distinctly reminded him of Malfoy.

Then the alpha proceeded to present Harry jewelry as his gift-and not any kind of jewelry but a gaudy looking necklace, that though pretty, was obviously not Harry at all.

Harry took the necklace and put it aside, with a false smile.

Later, Harry regretted asking Render why he had decided to court him. Harry really could have done without the alpha's little speech on how they were obviously meant to be together. Render had missed the point of the question entirely.

Next was Charles, a welcome relief from Render, Harry decided.

Charles was so far the least serious of the alphas, with a small grin perpetually perched upon his face. It set Harry at ease and Harry thought they might become friends at the least by the end of this. Charles' gift was a sling shot made of some kind of bone.

Though Charles warned it wasn't made to do damage really, especially when used against werewolves, it was a fun contraption. Harry took the sling shot eagerly, wondering how quickly he could get the hang of it before he could use it to ambush Karl.

"And what made you decide to court me?" Harry asked off handedly, still looking at the slingshot.

Harry looked up in time to see Charles blush. "It's a stupid reason really. The first week you were here I saw you with the little cubs. And one of them, Delila, I think it was fell in the mud. When the others laughed at her, I saw you go sit with Delila in the mud and act like it was the most normal thing in the world. After a couple of minutes, you had everyone playing and throwing mud at one another, and the whole thing was forgotten. That was a sweet thing to do, and well…I'd be honored to get to know you better."

Harry looked down, he didn't think anyone had been around there that time and was a bit embarrassed to have been seen playing around in the mud by an adult. Still, that Charles had noticed was very endearing in any case.

Following Charles was Stephan. And Harry didn't really know what to make of him. Stephan was tall and lankier than most of the other alphas with brown hair and Harry had seen Stephan around with Render a lot, but Stephan didn't seem as domineering as his friend, which Harry was grateful for.

"I wasn't really sure what to get you," Stephan had admitted.

Harry took the small stack of papers from Stephan, wondering what they were.

"But, since I doubt you've been able to learn the werewolf written language form yet, as it is especially difficult to learn, I thought I'd translate some of our more well known legends into English for you.

Harry held the papers with new-found reverence before thanking Stephan earnestly.

And when Harry asked why Stephan had decided to court him, the alpha simply smiled and said, "Because you amaze me, Harry."

Harry was a bit stunned by that, and didn't press for more details.

"Only one more," Catherine informed as Stephan left.

"Yes, Fenrir," Harry nodded, trying not to get anymore nervous.

It was weird to see Fenrir kneeling before him, Harry noted. Kneeling, bowing, averting one's eyes to elders, they were all little actions that took place within the pack every day, every moment.

Harry took them for granted and had begun to mimic such behaviors himself without knowing it. So when he saw Fenrir kneeling before him, it just felt out of place.

Fenrir didn't seem to mind so much though. He seemed content, though somber as he said his vows with well practiced ease.

It made Harry wonder how often, if ever, Fenrir had made such vows before.

But then Fenrir up turned his head to present his gift all the thoughts in Harry's head seemed to vanish

"I can teach you to use it, if you wish," Fenrir was saying as Harry reached out to take the offered dagger.

Harry's eyes were wide as he took in the object, but it wasn't because the dagger was especially attractive, or anything. To be honest, the dagger was plain, as it looked like it was made entirely of the same black rock material, the blade and handle interlocking as one smooth piece. But as it glinted dully in the sunlight, Harry got the distinct impression that dagger was aware of his presence.

"It would please me, if you kept this with you when you're around the wizards," Fenrir continued, as he produced a halter as well, strapping it to Harry's left arm and securing the dagger in place.

"I know you won't be able to transform while you attend school, but after some training with this blade, you can become just as dangerous in your human form as you are as a wolf."

Looking at the deadly serrated edge of the blade, Harry couldn't help but agree that the dagger was very dangerous.

"What is it made of?" Harry asked as he took the dagger out of its leather sheath now bound to his arm.

"The ashes of a Wyvern."

"Ashes? But it looks so strong," Harry added.

"It is. However, it's strength comes from how the ashes are formed together. Once the Wyvern was burned to ashes, my grandfather and grandmother, who each had a special affinity for the wind, were able to gather the ashes and force them into this form," Fenrir explained.

Harry shook his head. "I can't take this Fenrir, it's too much. The ceremony called for a small gift, besides…you know I'm not planning on picking anyone and this is family heirloom, I can't-"

"Harry, shh," Fenrir chided. "First of all, this gift is really not so grand as you're making it out to be and is perfectly fine for this ceremony. Second, it is because you aren't planning on choosing any of us that I gave you this gift. I know choosing a mate isn't your primary objective at this point in your life, and that's fine, but I want to help you help yourself while you finish your schooling at Hogwarts. And thirdly, you are already part of my family Harry, so even if you do not choose me as your mate, this blade will remain where it's supposed to be."

After thinking a moment, and deciding that Fenrir's arguments seemed sound. Harry nodded. Learning another way to defend himself was a good idea in any case. "Alright, I'd appreciate your help in learning how to use the dagger," Harry admitted.

"Good," Fenrir smiled. "Then it's all settled. If you want, after you put your new things away and get cleaned up, Catherine and I can take you to spend some time with your godfather."

Harry smiled in return, glad that this ceremony didn't change how Fenrir acted towards him. Everything would work out, Harry suddenly felt very confident for the future.

* * *

"That blade looks wicked," Sirius admitted, clearly impressed. "How'd his grandparents make it?" Sirius asked.

"Um…they used the wind and pressed it together…" Harry trailed off.

"Oh, so could Remus do that?" Sirius asked.

"No, it's a natural werewolf thing to be able to use the elements like that," Harry explained.

"So, could you do it then?"

Harry shrugged. "Yes, but I'd need a lot more practice. It's weird, natural magic is very easy to use, to start off with, but difficult to control. So far I've just been taught how to do small things. The more natural magic you use, it goes a bit out of control and takes more power to use. If that makes sense?" Harry asked.

"It sounds very different from wizarding magic," Sirius agreed. "But, I'm glad to see you so happy Harry. And it seems these werewolves are treating you very well.

"They are. And despite all the drama with the ministry and everything, this summer has been the best I've ever had."

Sirius smiled, for once looking like the carefree man Harry had seen in old pictures of his his family.

"So are you hungry or anything, we could have a late lunch?" Sirius asked.

"No thanks, I'm fine at the moment, I was wondering if we could start with Occlumency though?"

"Oh!" Sirius began. "Yes, that is very important, I found some books that might be useful, at least for the beginning stages."

Harry nodded enthusiastically as he followed Sirius up to the library. Sirius led Harry to one of the reading desks in the library where he had already stacked several tomes.

"Reading those will help, but first I want to go through some exercises with you."

"Exercises, like stretching and stuff?" Harry asked.

"In a way, but these will help to train your mind. Here, I'll show you, take a seat."

Harry sat down, happy to get started.

"Here, this is what I used when I was learning," Sirius began, holding out a small crystal.

"But I thought you said you never learned Occlumency.""I didn't, but learning how to clear your mind is an important beginning step in many different types of magic, such as utilizing your animagus form."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Now, I'll place this here in the middle of the table, and I want you to stare at the middle of the crystal, loose yourself in the many faceted sides. You need to practice focusing on one object so that all else is blocked out. Eventually, you should be able to reach this state of mind without long meditation or the help of the crystal."

* * *

The next month passed tranquilly. Harry fell into a flexible schedule which included sparing with Fenrir most mornings while he learned how to use his new dagger properly. Then he would spend a couple of hours with his friends, or sometimes one of competing alphas would invite Harry to do something, Catherine was always close behind in those instances.

Then in the afternoon Harry would go to visit his godfather and Remus. While there, Harry would usually read the books available about Occlumency, practice clearing his mind, or finish his regular summer homework.

Harry hoped the extra studying would help his potions grade that year at least.

No one came around Grimmauld Place that often that last month. And if someone did come by in the mornings, Harry's absence was easily passed off. No one questioned a teenager sleeping till noon on their summer break after all.

By the end of the month, Harry was confident that he was able to control his transformations at the very least. He still wasn't sure if his Occlumency shields he had read about were strong enough, or even entirely present since there was no one he trusted to test them. But the persistent worry at the back of his mind, that someone might learn his secret gave Harry enough resolve to keep reading and keep practicing the art.

As the beginning of the school year drew near Harry continued his studies with renewed fervor. The dagger he had gotten from Fenrir now never left his side.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Fenrir asked.

Harry nodded. They were standing outside Grimmauld Place, it was the early morning of September the 1st.

"You've got your dagger, your wand, your potion?" Fenrir continued.

"Yes, I packed everything yesterday."

"You have both forms of the potion, the lotion, and the liquid form?"

"Yes," Harry repeated.

"You have-"

"Fenir, quit worrying, you've walked me through this day a dozen times. I will go to King's Cross with Sirius and Remus. I will go on the train. I will have a wonderful time catching up with my friends. I will attend the sorting feast-"

"And if something unforeseen happens?" Fenrir interrupted.

"I will get to either you or Remus as soon as possible no matter what," Harry said, in a monotone, having had to repeat the sentence many times in the last few days.

"Alright," Fenrir nodded, his voice a bit gruffer than usual. "Just be careful. I don't want anything happening to you," Fenrir added, he hand reaching out to cup the back of Harry's head possessively.

Harry looked up and was taken aback by the fierce look in Fenrir's eyes. The elder werewolf was worried, extremely worried. Harry almost opened his mouth to call the whole thing off, if only to take that look off Fenrir's face. But he had to go on, Fenrir seemed to realize this for he simply nodded once more, and then leaned down to embrace Harry tightly.

It wasn't like the other types of hugs he often shared with Fenrir and his other pack members, this was ardent and passionate, not kind or soft.

Harry felt his feet lift off the ground, but wasn't concerned. He held on tighter, because even though he sounded confident earlier, the truth was, Harry was worried too.

As Harry held himself closer to Fenrir, his face pressed to the alpha's neck, almost trying to memorize the scent, he heard a low growl in his ear.

Harry wondered vaguely if Fenrir was going to bite him. The thought would have usually caused Harry to try to get away but Harry somehow felt that there was no danger. Harry tilted his head to the side to give his alpha more room, it seemed the right thing to do.

Harry felt Fenrir's mouth on his neck and Fenrir's suddenly strong breaths moving his hair.

Teeth were grazing Harry's neck and he shivered.

"Fenrir!" Catherine shouted sharply, causing Fenrir to release his hold on Harry abruptly.

When Harry's feet hit the ground unexpectedly, his knees buckled and he found himself kneeling on the dirt ground, breathing harshly.

Catherine came over quickly and helped Harry stand, before brushing off the dirt from his clothes.

"There you are dear. Now, you just go and have a good time today. I know you've done all you could to prepare yourself, and I'm sure everything will be fine."

Harry nodded, trying to get his thoughts in order. He was just talking about what would be done today and then everything….

Harry shook his head before looking past Catherine to see where Fenrir had gone.

The elder werewolf had his back turned on Harry and Catherine several feet away.

"Harry," Catherine caught Harry's attention once more. "We can talk about this again when you come back tonight, but if you don't leave now, you might miss your train."

Harry nodded vaguely.

"You'll feel better in a couple of minutes," Catherine reassured before leading Harry through the back gate of Grimmauld Place. "Remember tonight, meet us at the north side of the forbidden forest. Fenrir and I will be waiting," Catherine smiled.

Harry nodded, taking a deep breath and stealing one last glance at Fenrir before continuing forward towards the house.

When Harry was safely within the house, Catherine turned to glare at Fenrir.

"What did you think you were doing? I turn my back for a second, thinking you just meant to hug the boy, and then I look back to realize you're a second away from biting him!" Catherine hissed.

Fenrir breathed deeply once more before turning around to meet Catherine's gaze.

"I know, I only meant to comfort him, Catherine. I did not realize that the desire to be with him would be so strong," Fenrir sighed. "It won't happen again. I am just so apprehensive, so many things could go wrong today. I only want for his safety."

Taking pity on Fenrir, Catherine moved forward to take one of the alpha's shaking fists into her hands.

"Harry has his own path to follow. He was on this road before you met, and you accepted his choice when allowed him into our pack. We can help Harry along, but it is his own life ultimately, this is his decision."

Fenrir nodded, "Yes, I know you are right. This is his road, but he is part of our pack now and I swear by the sky above that if anyone harms a single hair on his head, they will have my wrath to contend with," Fenrir vowed, glaring up at the magical house of Grimmauld Place.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	22. Fooling Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters

a/n: mostly a linking chapter, sorry if it isn't terribly entertaining in its own right

* * *

"Is there something wrong?" Sirius asked concernedly.

"What? No, of course not. Nothing's wrong, why'd you think that?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Your eyes are tinged yellow," Remus muttered, turning to look out of Harry's bedroom window to see Fenrir standing out in the alley, glaring up at the house.

"They are?" Harry gasped, turning to look in the wall mirror above his dresser. Remus was right, his pupils were slightly dilated and ringed with yellow. It was the first sign of a transformation, which was usually followed by elongation of canines and claws before total transformation took place.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Sirius asked again. "You don't have to go today, perhaps we should have focused more on restraining small physical changes…" Sirius trailed off, thinking.

"No, I'm fine," Harry disagreed. "Look my eyes are completely green again. It's just Fenrir," Harry stopped. He didn't know what to say, he couldn't really describe what had happened even his own mind.

Besides, Remus would probably burst a blood vessel or something if Harry had said his eyes were tinged yellow because Fenrir had _nuzzled _his neck.

"Fenrir, what?" Remus prompted, turning away from the window and snapping the curtains closed.

"He was just worried, and it was…difficult to say good bye," Harry explained

Remus snorted. "Perhaps he should have thought of this moment when he decided to turn you, did you tell him that? Might help with this belated moral crisis he is going through now."

Harry stepped forward automatically at the derisive tone of Remus' voice only to be stopped by Sirius' firm hand on his shoulder.

"Remus," Sirius cut in warningly. "Perhaps this is not the best time? It would be better if we all stayed calm. We have to leave soon in any case."

Barely keeping down the growl that threatened to escape his throat, Harry turned away from Remus and took a calming breath.

"Alright, I'll just get my trunk, and then we can go."

Harry didn't blame Remus, not really. It was easy to see they were all wound a bit tightly today.

Which made it all the more uncomfortable to be saying good byes on platform Nine and Three-Quarters, especially with all the rambunctious, loud, unruly students running around.

There were so many different smells, making Harry's eyes almost water. And every voice seemed to reverberate forever down and across the long stone enclosure.

It made Harry jumpy. But then Remus was before him, staring intently with the warm brown eyes that Harry associated with him most.

"Remember what I told you, focus on each voice individually. It will get easier, I promise you," and then Remus' voice seemed to falter. "About early today, and well, I guess this whole summer, I'm sorry. No matter how critical I was of our…mutual acquaintance, I want you to know, that disapproval never extended to you. I believe you can do whatever you set your mind to, Harry. And despite all the setbacks, I hope you have a wonderful year."

Harry held Remus' stare, gaining confidence from that steady gaze.

"Thank you," Harry whispered, clasping Remus' hand firmly, letting the strength of his grip be felt as he could with no other wizard.

Smiling, Harry bent down to hug Sirius in his dog form, before patting Sirius' head lovingly.

After finishing his goodbyes, Harry turned to look at the great red train thundering with smoke and steel. Harry wasn't sure of much, but he did know that this year would sure be interesting.

* * *

"Harry!" Hermione shouted.

Smiling, Harry rushed forward to greet his old friend.

Harry embraced Hermione quickly, so happy to see her, but still making sure not to squeeze too tightly.

"Come on, Ron is already in one of the compartments," Hermione explained, taking Harry's hand and leading him farther down the corridor.

Ron stood when Hermione and Harry entered the compartment, smiling brightly.

"Hermione found you, that's good, we have a lot to catch up on!" Ron exclaimed, moving some of his bags so that Harry and Hermione could sit down.

The next hour passed easily, as the three friends got re-acquainted.

Then Hermione stood, looking at her watch. "I need to go get changed. I'll meet you in the prefects compartment, alright Ron, for the meeting?"

Ron groaned, but nodded. "Fine, fine, I'll see you there."

"We might as well change too," Ron mumbled after Hermione had left.

Harry shrugged, turning to get his robes out of his trunk, remembering to pretend to struggle with the 'heavy' lid.

Harry pulled off his sweater and t-shit to put on his white uniform shirt as Ron did the same behind him.

"Whoa," Ron suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" Harry asked, turning around.

"Did you get a girl friend or something over the summer you didn't tell us about?" Ron asked, pointing to Harry's shoulder.

Harry looked down, spotting a hickey standing out brightly on his pale skin, and his heart suddenly felt like it dropped out of it's proper place.

Ron stepped closer, poking the reddened flesh.

Harry automatically slapped his friend's hand off of him. Harry had gotten better with being able to stand other people touching his arms and things but his chest and neck were still particularly sensitive.

"It's nothing," Harry answered automatically. "It's just a…burn, yea," Harry lied quickly.

"From what?" Ron asked.

"A hex," Harry answered, hastily putting his school uniform shirt on and making sure the mark was covered.

"Who hexed you?" Ron exclaimed.

"Sirius, we were…training," Harry explained.

"You got to use your wand over break?" Ron continued doubtfully.

"No, I was just practicing dodging. One hex must have got passed me, I didn't even notice. You uh, better hurry. I think you're meeting is starting soon," Harry reminded.

"Oh yea!" Ron exclaimed, haphazardly throwing on his robe. "'Mione and me will be back soon," Ron called as he rushed out the door.

Harry sighed and fell back on his seat. That was close, Harry thought, trying to calm his ragged breathing.

Luckily, it seemed that Ron had bought the lie. And really, what a stupid thing for him to miss on his first day, Harry berated himself.

In his defense though, Harry didn't even know himself that he had…that thing on his neck. He consciously shied away from the word hickey. Were he and Fenrir even together that long? Harry wracked his memory, it didn't seem so to him, but maybe he didn't remember correctly.

It was nice though, Harry admitted, he had felt warm and safe.

Harry smiled, before suddenly growling at himself. What in the bloody hell was going on? He shouldn't be sitting there pining over Fenrir. No, Harry corrected himself, he was definitely not pining.

Harry clasped at his head, frustrated. He needed to concentrate. Pushing back his confused thoughts, Harry focused on the task at hand.

Blocking out the compartment doors, Harry reached up to his shoulder to place a powerful glamour on the mark at his neck before sitting back down rigidly.

Harry decided he wouldn't think about that morning any more during the day. He was going to focus on being a wizard and getting through the feast that evening. Simple.

But after that was done and he went back to his pack, Harry knew that he _really _needed to talk to Catherine.

* * *

Hermione and Ron came back a short while later to find Harry catching up with Neville, Ginny, Fred and George. The rest of the train ride passed enjoyably, though Harry was especially happy to note, uneventfully as well.

Walking into the Great Hall, Harry had to physically restrain himself from putting his hands to his ears.

Everyone spoke so loudly!

But Harry knew he'd eventually get used to it, and tried to ignore the ringing in his ears for the time being.

He was having a good time after all, it was felt good to finally begin his fifth year. Harry sat down on the nearest bench with the rest of his fellow Gryffindors.

Everything going well. Harry could hear some students whispering behind his back sometimes, no doubt still curious about what had happened at the end of the last year. But most of his closer friends welcomed him whole-heartedly. The new first years were being sorted, all of his friends were around him, now thankfully twittering to one another quietly.

Harry took a deep breath, finally letting himself relax - wait. Harry sat up straighter. He had smelt something.

Eyes narrowing, Harry took another experimental breath. Closing his eyes, Harry fought to remain calm for he had just distinctly recognized the scent of a another werewolf.

It wasn't Remus, and it wasn't anyone from his pack, Harry knew that immediately.

It was a stranger.

Harry opened his eyes and looked around the hall, trying to make it seem like a casual glance. But it was impossible, even with his amplified senses to pin point who the werewolf was. It was simply too crowded.

Harry growled under his breath. Of all the obstacles this year, dealing with another werewolf was really not something Harry wanted to do.

Especially a werewolf from another pack, he hadn't had such good experiences with foreign packs in the past anyway.

And then Harry had the horrifying thought that if he could smell the other werewolf, then certainly the other werewolf could smell him.

Harry almost bolted to the door at that moment, before his more logical side reminded him that since the other werewolf was in Hogwarts, they were most likely taking wolf's bane potion and would thereby be unable to use their senses to notice Harry. Plus, Harry continued, even if they could sense him, they couldn't pin point his location any more than he could theirs in the crowded room.

Looking down his row and across the table at his housemates, Harry was able to rule them out at least. Even though he couldn't identify the single scent of the werewolf, Harry was at least reasonably certain that the smell wasn't coming from his table.

So that only left, the houses of Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, plus the faculty!

No problem, right? Harry was hard pressed to keep his head from hitting the table repeatedly.

Sighing, Harry resolved to discuss the new problem with his pack. There was little he could do about it now. It was best to just remain alert and try to enjoy the rest of the start of year feast as much as possible.

Relaxing was harder than it originally seemed. Harry got through the feast well enough, he tried to be an active part of the conversation with his friends while pushing his food around on his plate. Elf prepared food seemed to taste perpetually of pure magic, and though Harry could eat it, too much and it gave him a stomach ache.

But despite trying his best to enjoy himself, the lingering scent of the foreign werewolf seemed to permeate the air, no matter how much he tried to ignore it.

It put a damper on the evening to say the least.

Later that evening, after catching up with his fellow Gryffindors that he hadn't said hello to on the train, Harry gratefully walked up the looping stairway to his dorm. Ron followed tiredly behind.

Harry bent to his trunk to get out his pajamas and changed. Most of his dorm mates had already fallen asleep, but Harry said goodnight to Ron and then closed the drapes around his bed.

Harry held his breath, and simply listened. It wasn't difficult to notice when Ron's breath subtly deepened and evened out, signaling that he was asleep.

After waiting several more minutes for good measure, Harry slipped out his bed and turned around to mold one of his sheets into a replica of his body before covering it with his bedspread. Harry then headed towards the small window to his side.

Harry didn't bother changing once more or putting shoes on. He didn't get cold as easily as he did before, and walking bare foot was much more comfortable than the shoes he had to wear as parts of his Hogwarts uniform. Besides, shoes would make it more difficult to climb. Harry pulled out his invisibility cloak and pulled it around his shoulders, summing the air around him to cover his presence as well. Harry thought it was a bit overboard, using both the cloak and his werewolf abilities to hide himself, but Fenrir had insisted that he use both.

Harry then sat on the window sill and silently pushed the glass door out before turning and lowering himself outside the window.

Harry then nimbly started climbing down the outside tower wall, instinctively finding the best crevices within the stones to place his hands and feet.

When Merri had first suggested this way of leaving the castle, since Harry couldn't just walk out the front doors without being detected, Harry had looked at her incredulously.

Harry suggested it would just be easier to use his broom and fly down to the grass below.

Merri had scoffed. "You are a werewolf, are you not?" Merri asked. "Climbing should come easily to you."

Merri, John, and Karl had went out the next day and had practiced climbing some of the tallest trees in their territory. It was actually a lot of fun, jumping from branch to branch. Harry had learned that that was how many of the scouts moved through the forest while on their rounds. It certainly explained why Harry hardly saw them when he went out exploring with his friends.

It took Harry about five minutes to get to the ground below. He let himself drop several feet at times to catch outcrops along the roofs and such.

Harry landed on the grass with a soft _thump_.

Standing easily from his crouch, Harry started out at a light run towards the forbidden forest.

Once he entered the forest, Harry easily found Catherine and Fenrir waiting for him. Fenrir spotted him first and walked towards Harry, a relieved smile upon his face.

Catherine looked calmed as well, though she still held her normal reserve as always.

He rushed to both of them gave them each a heartfelt hug.

* * *

"So how was your first day?" Fenrir asked apprehensively.

"Everything went according to plan," Harry answered between bites. Since he had started attending Hogwarts, he would miss the evening communal meal, but his pack always made sure to set aside several slabs of meat for him from the daily hunt.

"But well, I sensed something," Harry began slowly, a little anxious about how Fenrir would take the news.

"Yes?" Fenrir asked, his eyebrow raised in question.

"I think there is another…werewolf in Hogwarts."

"You smelled him?" Catherine asked from beside him.

"Yes, during the opening feast. But I couldn't tell who it was. I know it's not a Gryffindor, but other than that, there was just too many people and I couldn't track the single scent."

Fenrir nodded. "That's understandable, but this does complicate things."

"Yes, but not terribly so. I was thinking, and whoever it is must be taking wolfs bane potion, right?" Harry asked.

"I would assume so," Catherine answered. "Not many werewolves would have the ability to hide their instincts without the use of that potion."

"Yes, so then they wouldn't be able to smell that I am a werewolf, so they are on the same level as everyone else," Harry reasoned.

Catherine shrugged. "That does sound logical," Catherine agreed.

However Fenrir did not look as convinced.

"Nevertheless, it would be in your best interests to eventually discover who the werewolf is and avoid them as much as possible," Fenrir advised.

Harry nodded. "Yes, I plan on doing that."

"Hopefully it is simply another student that was bitten by a rogue and left uncared for," Catherine brought up, looking thoughtful.

"Yes, probably. Dumbledore still allows werewolf wizards to continue in Hogwarts, he did with Remus anyway. It's probably the same thing," Harry rationalized.

Harry finished his meal, feeling a lot better about the whole situation.

While Harry was washing up his dishes in the water trough of the central clearing, Aaron approached him, wondering if Harry wanted to go star gazing. There was a great vantage point at the top of the mountain from where the whole sky could be seen.

Luckily, Harry had gotten over his shyness of the alphas after the first week of being asked to go on such outings a least once a day, so he wasn't too nervous to decline.

"Maybe tomorrow, Aaron?" Harry asked. "It was my first day at Hogwarts and all, so I just wanted to relax with my friends for tonight."

Aaron nodded understandingly. "No problem, Harry. Tomorrow it is then."

Harry smiled before turning to hang up his dishes to dry. Then Harry walked off to the left, to follow another trail that led to a smaller clearing where Merri, John, and Karl usually visited during the evenings.

After following the trail for several minutes and making sure no one was following him, Harry doubled back to the main clearing.

Aaron was thankfully no where to be seen, so Harry quickly walked to the sleeping den.

Slipping through the doors, Harry was happy to see Catherine talking with several other adults as they kept watch over the cubs.

Harry stood to the side and waited for Catherine to acknowledge him. Once she did, Harry stepped forward. "I was wondering if we could have that talk you mentioned earlier?"

"Of course," Catherine smiled, excusing herself. "Come with me, Harry," Catherine ordered, leading Harry out of the sleeping den.

Once Catherine found a place where they could speak privately, Harry gratefully sat heavily upon the forest floor.

"I'm so confused," Harry confessed.

Catherine sat beside Harry. "About what exactly?"

"This morning!" Harry exclaimed. "I let Fenrir…" Harry trailed off before opting to just remove his glamour and show Catherine the mark on his neck.

"Do you see?" Harry asked worriedly.

Catherine nodded. "You should make sure none of the others see the mark, it would cause…problems. But it is nothing to be overly worried about. It will not happen again, I will keep a closer watch on you in the future."

"That's not the point," Harry hissed in a low whisper.

"Why are you so distressed? Your reactions are nothing to be ashamed about, as I said, it was mostly my fault in any case-"

"I'm not blaming you, I was the one that let it happen. Why? I'm not ready for this," Harry sighed.

"Harry, I know that at this point you don't feel ready to have a mate, and that's fine considering the circumstances in which you became part of out pack. But your wolf, your instinctive side does not know this. Your wolf is using this time to help you choose a mate."

"Wait, you're saying that wolf in me, made that happen? I thought I would have a choice in this!"

"Stop," Catherine ordered sternly. "I did _not_ say that. I only mean…it's difficult to explain. I only meant that, you're wolf is attracted to Fenrir. It makes sense as he is easily the most powerful claimant that has bid for your hand. If things had been as they were before, when there were more pure-blooded werewolves, the difference wouldn't be quite so much as now."

"So you're saying the wolf in me will just convince me to allow the attentions of appropriate mates and it's just happy coincidence that only Fenrir fits the bill so far?"

Catherine shook her head.

"No, this would be much easier to explain if you didn't have silly wizarding beliefs still muddling your mind. It's like.."

Catherin paused trying to think of an appropriate metaphor. "It's like muggles and physical beauty. One muggle would be more apt to have relations with another if the other was physically pleasing to them."

"That's not entirely true," Harry protested. "I lived as a muggle for my childhood and many people married others because they liked their personality and loved them, not just because they were beautiful."

"Exactly," Catherine answered. "As it is with us. Why do you think the other alphas are even competing? They know that Fenrir is more powerful than them and that your wolf would naturally choose him first. But they hope that you will consider more than that when you decide upon a mate."

"So what happened in the ally with me and Fenrir, was it real, what I felt?" Harry asked, second guessing his own feelings.

"Did you want it to happen?" Catherine returned.

Harry hesitated. "At the time… yes."

"Then it was real," Catherine replied easily, with a small shrug.

"But you said, about the wolf being attracted to him, maybe it was just that-"

"True, that your wolf wants Fenrir as a mate played a part in your compliance but if you truly did not want it to happen, you would not have allowed it. If an exceptionally beautiful person had held you the same way as Fenrir did, would you have allowed it?"

"Of course not!" Harry answered quickly.

"So it is the same with your wolf. Now that we have that covered, it now falls to me to make sure that it doesn't go any farther until you're of age," Catherine stood.

"What, no, nothing is going to happen," Harry answered a bit embarrassedly. "What happened yesterday just took me by surprise, that's all. I'm not choosing any of them anyway."

Catherine only smirked with a knowing smile.

"That's fine if you don't wish to take a mate this year, but you should get your feelings sorted out at the very least," Catherine advised, leaving Harry with his thoughts.

Harry sighed, did he want to mate with Fenrir?

He couldn't deny that he didn't have romantic feelings for Fenrir any more, even to his own mind. Harry wasn't really sure when that had changed. He had started caring for Fenrir almost immediately after meeting him. Fenrir had saved him on multiple occasions after all, and usually respected him and listened to his opinions. Who wouldn't have feelings for someone that treated them so considerately?

Did Harry just feel familial love for Fenrir and the wolf in him made him feel something more? Catherine didn't agree, and Harry couldn't deny the memory of pleasure he felt when he was held by Fenrir. It had seemed right, and at the time he had felt no doubts.

But Harry had never been with anyone else either, so he didn't really have anything to compare it to. Perhaps he would feel similarly if he had allowed Aaron or Charles to embrace him so? The truth was, Harry didn't know.

After thinking about it for several more minutes, Harry decided that there was little point in worrying. He had a little less than a whole year to figure out what he felt about the entire situation. And then he would decide, who, if anyone he wanted to mate with.

Feeling marginally better about having resolved the issue for the issue for the time being, Harry left to go meet up with his friends to catch up before going to sleep.

* * *

Harry climbed deftly up the tower a little before sunrise. It took a bit longer going up, but it still was not particularly difficult.

Once he made it into his dorm room, Harry pulled off his invisibility cloak and banished the air that had been covering him after noting that all of his door mates were still sleeping.

Not feeling tired in the least, Harry simply changed into his Hogwarts uniform since he had already showered in the bathing house back home.

Getting the feeling that was going to start getting the reputation for being an early riser, Harry got his books together for the day and headed for the common room.

Harry was able to get some further reading done while he waited for the rest of his classmates to get up.

Breakfast was a bit of a pointless affair, as Harry had already eaten as well, but Harry made sure to move some food around on his plate like usual while forcing down several bites of oatmeal.

After getting their schedules for the week, Harry was happy to discover that he had Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, and Astronomy on his first day.

It was not to be a terribly taxing day, academically anyway.

Harry had already accepted that he had little chance of doing particularly well in Care of Magical Creatures, since even after bowing to a wild animal and letting them know that they were not on the day's menu, most animals were still uncomfortable being around werewolves. And Harry doubted he would be able make any wild animal calm, let alone care for them well. Still, Hagrid was one of Harry's favorite teachers and the class would be enjoyable, if for only that reason.

Transfiguration, though challenging, was for the most part a usually marginally engaging class, the practical aspects in any case.

Next was Astronomy, which wasn't really one of Harry's favorites, it ranked only slightly better than History of Magic and Divination though. Harry noticed a new teacher was listed as he read through the list.

"What happened to Professor Sinistra?"

Hermione, who was sitting next to Harry, answered. "They didn't say, but we have two new teachers this year, Professor Umbridge for Defense Against the Dark Arts and Professor Lereux for Astronomy.""Umbridge? That pink thing from yesterday, not looking forward to that one," Ron chimed in, shaking his head.

Harry personally agreed, he had met the witch earlier in the summer, disliking her even then, and vaguely remembered her from the night before, though Harry wasn't paying much attention at the time.

"Yes, Umbridge is an absolute bore but Professor Lereux looks dreamy," Lavender added with a sigh.

Parvati nodded enthusiastically with a slight blush.

Ron rolled his eyes. "He'll just be another Lockhart, you'll see."

"No, I'm sure he'll be a very interesting teacher. Just because he's handsome doesn't mean he's boring or inept," Hermione argued.

"Oh I'm sure he'll be great, Astronomy is known for its thrilling nature," Ron returned sarcastically.

Smiling, Harry ignored them as their disagreement turned into friendly bickering.

After breakfast Harry walked down to Hagrid's hut with the rest of class, a little nervous about their first animal of the year.

Luckily they were studying only Skoots, little gerbil looking things that could change their fur color to match their surroundings. Harry wondered why Hagrid would choose such a harmless creature as their first animal, but didn't question it. It worked in his favor anyway. The little creatures ran amok within their cages most of the time anyway, so no one really noticed their increased hysteria when Harry approached their cages.

The class therefore went quite smoothly.

Transfiguration followed and continued as expected, though Harry didn't really have much doubts about it.

They were starting to learn human transformations in their fifth year and Harry wondered if they were going to cover animagus transformations that year as well. Maybe being able to transform as a werewolf would help the process?

While McGonagall continued to lecture, as was usual for her during the first day of class, Harry drifted off into a day dream in which he had successfully completed the transformation and had become a stag like his father. What if he met his pack like that, would they try and eat him, Harry speculated amusedly, with a small laugh.

Hermione glared at him in reproach, transfiguration was one of her favorite classes and she didn't appreciate others not paying complete attention.

Harry shared a conspiratorial smirk with Ron.

A quarter of an hour later, the class was thankfully over and they were all given their first homework assignment of the year.

"I hate essays," Ron bemoaned as they left the classroom and started the long assent up to the astronomy tower.

"They wouldn't be half so difficult if you would listen in class," Hermione admonished.

Harry didn't reply but instead started telling Ron about his day dream, leaving out the getting eaten by werewolves part, of course.

Harry had just finished his story when they made it to the astronomy classroom.

Harry followed Hermione and Ron into the classroom before stopping dead in his tracks.

The smell of the foreign werewolf, which had seemed to permeate the entire school before, suddenly spiked, growing much stronger. Harry looked up, noting that he and his friends were the first students to arrive.

Turning to the left slightly, Harry saw the new Astronomy Professor. He was leaning casually on his desk, his arms crossed and looking confident.

Harry's eyes trailed up to rest on the wizard's face and he jolted when he noticed that the wizards was looking directly at him.

Taking a deep breath, Harry noticed that the scent of the foreign werewolf was coming from the form before him.

Professor Lereux, it seemed, was the other werewolf of Hogwarts.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Until next time, 3


	23. For Family

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

* * *

Harry's body froze, not knowing what to do. Slowly a small smile spread across the foreign werewolf's face.

He _winked. _Harry would have flinched if he wasn't so numb, as he thought he noticed a predatory gleam in the other werewolf's eyes. But then the moment was gone. And the astronomy professor simply pushed himself off the desk, looking completely harmless.

"Well, hello there, take a seat then," The werewolf prompted, nodding to Harry. "You're blocking the way for the rest of your fellow students there," the werewolf continued genially, smiling at the group that was forming behind Harry.

Harry forced his frozen legs to move, as he moved automatically to sit by Ron and Hermione.

After sitting, Harry sat staring at his astronomy book resolutely.

"_He doesn't know," _Harry repeated to himself silently several times. The professor acted completely normal, not a sign of surprise or anything, so everything was fine.

Harry pulled himself together by the time the rest of his class mates had shuffled in and took their seats.

Once everyone was settled, Professor Lereux took a deep breath before surveying the class.

"Welcome, welcome! This is your fifth year in the noble study of astronomy, correct?"

The class nodded, most of the boys looking bored already.

"Excellent. Well let's get started now, shall we? Everyone open up your books to Chapter One. Who'd like to read the first paragraph and go over the course objectives?"

From there Professor Lereux went over what he intended to teach that year, he seemed to basically follow the class schedule that Sinistra had left behind.

Harry was surprised how exceedingly normal the class proceeded though. Even when Remus had started teaching, there had been something a little off about him. Like even if you didn't consciously know what was different, you knew the professor had a secret or something.

But Lereux and Remus couldn't be more different from one another. For one, Lereux was impeccably dressed, not ostentatiously so, but he looked very well put together.

And he didn't look very sickly or weak either. A glamour perhaps? If Harry had describe Lereux, he might say that Lereux looked exactly like what someone would think a wizard looked like. With black wavy hair and piercing blue eyes, he struck an imposing figure.

It made sense though, in a way, since Harry doubted that Dumbledore could get away with hiring a werewolf again, especially with Umbridge around. So the professor probably had to keep his true identity a secret and try to act as much like a wizard as possible.

By the end of class it was obvious to everyone that Lereux was no Lockhart, he obviously knew his subject. Once the class was dismissed, Harry hurriedly left with his friends, keeping his head down and making sure not to make eye contact with the Astronomy professor once more.

"See, I told you he wouldn't be so bad," Hermione chided once they had gotten out of ear shot.

Ron rolled his eyes. "He was alright, I guess. And, you say that about every teacher anyway."

"Not true, I've never had much esteem for Trelawney. Besides, Harry seemed to like him," Hermione pointed out with conspiratorial smirk.

"What? No, I don't like him!"

"Oh come off it, Harry, you couldn't stop staring at him when you first saw him," Hermione retorted.

"No," Harry disagreed fervently. "He just looked like someone I knew."

"Oh and who would you know that looks like Lereux?" Ron asked curiously.

"Um…there was this muggle movie star I saw once," Harry lied, since Harry doubted it would be believable to have seen someone else like Lereux during his usual daily life.

"Who was it? Was it-"

"Hermione, I really don't remember his name," Harry interrupted exasperatedly.

Thankfully, Hermione let the matter drop.

During dinner later that day, gossip was swapped, much of it concerning the two new teachers. But no one further remarked upon his odd initial reaction towards the Astronomy professor, Harry was happy to find.

It was going to be a relief, being able to tell Fenrir and his pack that he had discovered who the werewolf was. Perhaps they knew something more about the werewolf and could shed some light on his past, which Harry was curious about. Harry wondered if Lereux believed as Remus did, and hated werewolves or if maybe he felt differently about it.

Harry kept his thoughts to himself though and waited patiently until night fall. They had stayed up a little later than the night before, to get some homework done, but it still wasn't especially late when Ron and Harry traipsed up to their dorm room.

Harry felt marginally more secure as he got up to sneak to the dorm room's window, as it was his second night doing so. Still being cautious though, Harry quietly climbed down the tower's outer walls, feeling steady and secure even at the great height.

Soon enough, the ground came ever closer and Harry dropped down to the grass once more.

Letting out a silent breath, Harry turned and began to walk out onto the long length of grass which separated the castle from the Forbidden Forest.

Before he had taken more than three steps though, Harry was suddenly pushed back against the tower wall by an invisible force.

Struggling instinctively didn't do much good and Harry started to feel his invisibility cloak sliding away.

Then, just to make matters worse, Harry felt a gentle wind rising and swirling around him, blowing away the air that he had summoned around him previously to keep him invisible.

Harry tried to raise the air around himself again, but whoever was stopping it was more powerful and kept the air from moving as Harry wanted it.

"Do stop struggling, Love, you're much too pretty to be invisible in any case," admonished a disembodied voice by Harry's ear.

Harry jerked in surprised, almost knocking his own head into the hard stone behind him.

"Show yourself," Harry growled.

"As you wish, Love," the voice said again, the gentle wind rising once more, this time revealing the striking features of Harry's assailant.

"Lereux," Harry answered placidly. Harry wasn't really that surprised anyway. Only a werewolf- a pure blooded werewolf at that- could so easily counter a were's air based invisibility spell ."Harry," Lereux replied, smiling. So nice of you to show up. You know, I spent all last night in front of your common room door. I was ever so very disappointed when you didn't show up. But then I realized, that door isn't the only exit for you is it? An unconventional outlet do windows make, Harry. Very tricky of you," Lereux tutted, as if he were reprimanding a small child for eating too many sweets.

"Let me down at once, and give me my cloak. We can't be seen!" Harry demanded in a harsh whisper, opting to wait until asking the multitude of questions that were swirling in his head.

"Oh, if you wish," Lereux sighed regretfully, backing up a step to let allow Harry's feet to touch the ground once more. "Though you do look ravishing pinned up against the wall like that."

Harry could almost feel his face heating up in embarrassment. If he wasn't so worried about being caught, Harry would have probably slapped Lereux. But getting into a brawl with his Astronomy professor out on school grounds in the middle of the night was not a way to keep attention off himself. Harry reminded himself of this inwardly several times before speaking.

"I believe I asked for my cloak as well," Harry reiterated, his voice taut with frustration.

"Oh, don't worry about that, as long as we stay against the wall, no one can see us from any of the school windows, and no one is out on the grounds," Lereux explained, the cloak still held in his hands, behind his back.

"Be that as it may, I still want my cloak," Harry argued.

"I'll give it back to you, don't worry. But if I give it to you now, you'll just dash off and leave me all by my lonesome, and we can't have that, can we?"

"You aren't…lonesome or whatever, you ambushed me!" Harry argued, his voice low but threatening.

"I didn't ambush you, I just…resolutely accosted you," Lereux smiled once more, white teeth glinting even in the dark shadow of Gryffindor tower.

"And how is that any better? Wait-never mind, just tell me why, what did you want? If you knew what I am, as surely I know what you are, you could have just covertly let me know or something if you wanted to talk, like any _sane _person," Harry added acerbically.

"And where would be the fun in that. This way we could have some quiet time together under the stars, oh look, there's Orion's Belt," Lereux noted, pointing skywards.

"You aren't taking this seriously at all. You came to me first, so answer my questions, why are you at Hogwarts, why did you ambush me, are you going to betray my secret to the other teachers here?"

"Why would I betray your secrets, Love, when they don't even know mine?"

"They don't, how have you been hiding your true self then?" Harry asked quickly, suddenly very interested. "Are you taking the wolf's bane potion?"

Lereux shook his head. "And I'll explain all my secrets of concealment, all in due time to you, if you wish it."

"In due time? You _accosted _me now, and you'll answer now," Harry insisted.

"Fine, take me to Fenrir, and I'll answer all of your questions," Lereux conceded.

"What?" Harry stepped back, closer to the wall. "Why do you want to see him?" Harry demanded.

"Already so protective of your pack little cub?" Lereux asked slyly.

"You hurt them, and I will make sure that you won't live to regret it," Harry threatened, his canines lengthening.

"Calm down, I don't want them," Lereux returned, waving his hand.

"Then_ what _do you want?" Harry asked again, quickly losing patience.

"You, of course. Wasn't it obvious?" Lereux posed, his playful smile starting to come back.

Harry didn't notice though, because he was ferociously cursing his own luck at the moment. And all Alphas be damned, Harry added, they were so bloody impatient, and the nerve of this one!

"I have to see your Alpha first though, to ask for his permission to begin courting you. That's why I wanted to speak to Fenrir," Lereux explained.

"Oh, and what makes you so sure he'll allow that?" Harry asked, feeling a bit of malicious glee that the over confident werewolf before him was about to be thwarted."You're not from our pack, he's not going to let you propose anything."

"I'll take my chances."

"Fine, but I should let you know, I'm not choosing a mate this year, especially not you," Harry spat.

"Why not?" Lereux asked, sounding truly surprised.

"Why not?! You push my up against a wall suddenly, don't even introduce yourself, as if I'm supposed to just yield to you because you're handsome-"

"So you think I'm handsome?" Lereux asked, with a devilish grin.

Harry ignored the comment. "You're conceited and vain-"

"I'm confident."

"And you're totally missing the point!" Harry argued.

"And what is _the point_?" Lereux asked offhandedly, though it was obvious he wasn't paying attention. Lereux's heavily lidded eyes were sort of glazed over and he was leaning over Harry, breathing deeply.

"You scent changes when you're angry, did you know that? It's very enticing-"

Totally fed up with Lereux and the entire situation, Harry pushed the werewolf away from him swiftly and took the werewolf's momentary distraction to grab his invisibility cloak.

Wrapping the cloak swiftly around his shoulders, Harry ran quickly across the school grounds.

Harry ran into the forest a moment later and was relieved to find Fenrir and Catherine relatively quickly.

"Fenrir!" Harry shouted, running towards the alpha, as he took off his invisibility cloak once more. "The werewolf in the school, it's Lereux, the Astronomy professor, and he knows about me! And about you, and he found me, and he's coming probably right now. He said he wants to propose, but he can't do that right?!" Harry explained all very quickly, causing Fenrir's face to darken more by the moment.

Fenrir didn't answer though, and simply placed a protective hand behind Harry's head, and guided the pup to stand behind him, effectively shielding Harry with his body.

A moment later, Lereux came walking sedately into the forest. Fenrir watched the on coming werewolf warily as Lereux walked closer before stopping in front of Fenrir.

"So you're the other werewolf of Hogwarts," Fenrir began disdainfully, looking Lereux over closely.

Lereux only smirked, looking over Fenrir at the same time. "So you're the werewolf whose scent is all over Harry's each morning," Lereux returned, equally disdainfully.

Fenrir's eyes narrowed. "You know who I am, don't you? Or do you simply have a death wish?" Fenrir asked. "Continue with your tone and I'll be sure to satisfy it," Fenrir growled.

"Two death threats in one evening? My, today is a lucky day for me isn't it?"

Fenrir watched Lereux blankly.

"He does that a lot, talks in circles," Harry explained.

"Oh, Harry," Lereux continued in mock surprise. "Almost didn't see you hiding there.""I am not hiding!" Harry protested, automatically walking towards Lereux threateningly. Fenrir pushed Harry behind him once again, before Harry was able to take more than two steps, causing Lereux to chuckled good-naturedly.

"Oh, don't fret, Love, being protected by your alpha and guardian is nothing to be ashamed about. Though, Fenrir is your guardian _and_ he is courting you? A bit…unorthodox, don't you think?" Lereux asked slyly.

Harry's eyes grew wide, as he noticed that Fenrir had suddenly become very still. It was the pose adopted by hunters before they struck at their prey.

"Catherine, take Harry back to our territory, won't you?" Fenrir asked in a deceptively calm voice.

Harry made a token protest, but Catherine grabbed Harry firmly and vanished.

Once he heard the two disapparate behind him, Fenrir stalked towards Lereux and without hesitation, back-handed the werewolf before him.

The force of the blow knocked Lereux to his knees, though he didn't seem surprised or shocked at the treatment.

"I won't warn you twice, you'll answer my questions directly when I ask or face the consequences. Now, do you know who I am?"

Lereux nodded. "Fenrir Grayback, of the Alderen Clan. It seems the tales of your strength and _overzealous_ aggression have not been exaggerated," Lereux noted, putting his hand up to his now split lip before coming to his feet once again with a pained expression.

Fenrir ignored the twisted compliment. "How did you come by such information?"

Lereux shrugged. "All werewolves know of you, Fenrir. But if you mean, how did I know about you in relation to Harry. Well, I have some friends from the packs of Europe. They told me of their plan to attack your territory last summer and take Harry from you forcefully. I, of course, disagreed with such tactics. Seems I was right to discourage such behavior, considering the bitter end many met at your hand."

Fenrir rose a doubting eyebrow. "If you believed that Harry was with my pack still, what made you think he was returning to Hogwarts?"

"The Daily Prophet reported that Harry had been found. I asked around, and found out that Harry was still on this year's roster. I had thought that he had been abandoned by you, or ran away from your pack for some reason. I made a point to get a position this year at Hogwarts in order to meet him. I was going to just propose to him myself, but when I smelled your scent on him I realized he must still be seeing you each evening and still be apart of your pack. I then decided to follow werewolf protocol and speak with you first, for your permission to court him."

"You mean, you choose to adopt our rules when they benefit you. The only reason you're speaking to me now is because you knew that if you didn't, and spoke to Harry about becoming his mate without asking for my permission first, my pack could summarily kill you on sight," Fenrir answered.

Lereux shrugged. "Perhaps."

"You said earlier, you heard of Harry originally from the werewolf packs of Europe, where is your pack?""I don't have a pack," Lereux answered.

"How do you not have a pack? You have the pure blood of our kind, you were born to one of us, I can smell it in you."

"My mother was as Harry is. She was bitten and taken as the mate of an alpha. Our pack was invaded by wizards soon after my conception, and my old and ailing sire died in the conflict. My mother went back to her wizarding family to hide from detection, and I was raised as a wizard and lived in relative peace from then on."

"And yet you still live as one of them?" accused Fenrir, eyeing Lereux's fashionable wizarding attire.

"Yes, it has worked out well so far. I live as one of them, and have the opportunities that are afforded them. I daresay I could give Harry a better life than you ever could-"

Fenrir swung his fist at Lereux's face but Lereux ducked quickly out of the way.

"So since you obviously have no further questions, am I right in assuming that this means you are denying my request?" Lereux asked slyly.

Fenrir glared at Lereux, his pupils slitting dangerously. "Yes, yes you are."

* * *

"Explain," Catherine ordered the moment she and Harry appeared in the main clearing of their territory.

Harry nodded. "I found the werewolf today, he's my Astronomy teacher, but he didn't act like he knew what I was so I thought we were right and he was on the Wolfsbane potion. The rest of the day was fine, but as I was coming to meet you Lereux- that's his name- caught me and started talking about asking Fenrir for permission to propose to me, but he can't do that right?!" Harry asked anxiously.

"No, he can't, because he'll be dead very soon," Render growled, coming out of the forest, along with several other alphas and other pack members, curious about the commotion.

Harry was still looking at Catherine though.

"You're not denying it Catherine," Harry prompted fearfully.

Catherine looked down at Harry concernedly. "Matches usually occur within packs, or more recently, with outside wizards or humans. However, there are times when foreign alphas will come to bid for the hand of submissives from other packs."

"Can't Fenrir turn him away though, you said that the alpha of a pack can decide who can mate with one another."

Catherine nodded. "That is true, for the dominant werewolves within the pack because Fenrir is their leader. However, a foreign Alpha has no allegiance to Fenrir."

"So what does that mean?" Harry asked.

"It means," Merri answered, stepping forward. "That Fenrir can either allow this Lereux to propose to you, or challenge him to a death match."

"A death match," Harry repeated hollowly. "And I'm right to assume that that means-"

"Yes, they each fight the other until one of them succeeds in killing the other," Catherine answered succinctly.

Harry shook his head back and forth. "No, I don't want anyone to die over this. And if anything happened to Fenrir I would never forgive myself."

"Don't worry, I'm sure that Fenrir would be fine. Fenrir is out alpha for a reason, he is the strongest among us," Charles comforted.

Catherine shook her head. "Lereux is a pureblood, I smelled it on him, and a wizard as well, most likely not above using his powers in such a battle. It will be…a challenge for Fenrir."

"If only I had noticed earlier," Harry groaned, berating himself.

"You don't think he can do it? No matter, I'll kill the bloody bastard myself," Render exclaimed.

"I didn't say he couldn't do it," Catherine snapped. "I said it would be a challenge for him, for you it'd be a death sentence."

"Stop," Harry shouted, pulling himself together. "Either way, we can't let them fight. I don't want Fenrir to get hurt if it can be avoided. It's not that important anyway, I can just turn Lereux down in a year. I'm going back," Harry finished resolutely.

"Harry, no," Merri protested, but Harry had already disappeared.

"We need to follow him," Merri objected.

Catherine shook her head. "No, this is matter is Harry's decision, we shall not interfere."

* * *

When Harry returned to their usual meeting place in the Forbidden forest, it looked much different. The grass was all trampled on, and there were large gashes in the trees, where sharp talons had scratched deep gouges in the wood.

In the middle of the clearing Fenrir and Lereux were circling each other warily. Lereux's robes were already ripped down the middle of the back and blood was seeping out of the wound.

Harry was happy to see that Fenrir looked mostly unharmed, though there was a slight limp in his gait.

Lereux raised his wand and Harry darted forward automatically and tried to snatch the wand away from him

Lereux turned just then and wrapped his free arm around Harry's waist, lifting Harry off the ground.

"Well hello there, Harry, so eager to see me again?"

"Let him go," Fenrir growled, but didn't move to strike Lereux, for fear of Harry getting hurt.

"Lereux, let me go," Harry ordered firmly.

"But my dear Harry, if I were to do so, Fenrir would surely kill me," Lereux pleaded with false fright.

"Fenrir, allow him to give his proposal, that's why I came back-"

"You want him to propose to you," Fenrir accused with an undertone of dark malice.

"No!" Harry quickly argued, not wanting Fenrir to get the wrong idea. "I just, I didn't want you to be hurt-"

"How very sweet, I can see why you like him, Fenrir," Lereux chuckled, breathing in deeply by Harry's neck, inhaling his scent.

Harry, finally losing patience with the man, brought his elbow up sharply and hit Lereux squarely in the middle of his face.

There was a sharp c_rack_ as Lereux's nose was broken, causing Lereux to automatically drop Harry.

Lereux fell to his knees, cradling his damaged face as blood dripped from between his fingers.

"You will stop with your vulgar insinuations and start treating Fenrir with the respect he deserves," Harry ordered sternly, glaring at his kneeling Astronomy Professor.

Fenrir watched the scene with wide eyes, surprised . Lereux shook his head a couple times, seeming to regain his senses before speaking.

"And whub 'appens aboud tha' pro-posal?" Lereux asked, the blood making his speech very warped. Harry had to stifle a laugh.

"Fenrir will allow you to give your proposal, if you still wish it and there will be no more fighting between any of you, isn't that alright Fenrir?" Harry asked turning.

Fenrir's eyes were no longer glinting with rage, instead it looked like he was trying to not laugh as well. "Whatever you say, pup, you're the boss," Fenrir added, watching Harry with newfound respect.

Harry nodded. "Alright, and Lereux when I decline your proposal next year-"

"Ip!" Lereux interrupted.

"What?" Harry questioned, confused.

Lereux cleared his throat. "If- if you decline my proposal."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine, _if_ I decline your proposal, you will leave us alone and in peace."

Lereux looked up at Harry before nodding once.

* * *

"So what'd he get you?" John asked curiously.

Harry held out his hand to show a bronze ring.

"Ughh, more jewelry?" Karl scoffed. "Don't they even try to get to know you?'

"Actually, it's pretty useful. After he healed his nose and could actually talk, Leureux said it would help calm animals in my presence. Care of Magical Creatures won't be such a pain, in any case," Harry explained.

"Oh yes, his nose, I can't believe you actually broke his nose, Harry," Merri chastised.

"Well it was obvious neither of them were going to listen, so I just made them listen," Harry smirked. "Besides, Fenrir seemed to find it funny."

"What'd Lereux think?" John asked.

"He just seemed happy that he would get to propose. Didn't seem too upset I broke his nose."

"Well, he shouldn't be upset, he was acting totally rude," Merri huffed.

"But is he cute?" Karl asked with a mischievous grin.

Harry sighed. "Lereux is handsome, yes. In like a high class snotty way though. He looks very much like a wizard though.""So you like him?" Karl continued.

"Karl!" Harry shouted exasperatedly. "Did you not listen to anything I just told you? Of course I don't like him. He's very obnoxious."

Karl shrugged. "From what you said, he seemed sorta funny, to be honest. And he is a wizard. You'd probably have a lot more in common with him than the other werewolves that want to be your mate," Karl explained.

Harry shook his head.

"Harry, you should get to sleep. You have to wake up early tomorrow," Fenrir reminded.

Harry hugged his friends goodnight before going to his own sleeping area. Fenrir was already there to cover him up with the several fur throws he slept in as usual.

"What you did today was very brave," Fenrir admited, sitting down besides Harry. "But also very foolish. I don't want you to do that again, standing between two fighting werewolves if a very dangerous thing to do."

"I just didn't want you to get hurt, you know I didn't stop the fight because of any feeling for Lereux, right?"

"Yes, I realized that right after you bloodied Lereux's nose," Fenrir winked. "Good one by the way. But still, you didn't have to do that. I would have defeated him."

"I know, but I don't like taking chances with people I - with my family, I mean," Harry answered.

Fenrir smiled, brushing the back of knuckles along Harry's cheek.

"Yes, family."

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	24. Only You

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

warning: wolfie mushy love hehe

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked from under his invisibility cloak as he neared the base of Gryffindor tower.

Lereux was leaning on the wall, with his arms crossed.

"Waiting for you naturally," Lereux answered, looking like the wizard he claimed to be once more, with immaculate robes and properly styled hair.

"Why, you got what you wanted already." Harry flicked his hand forward, causing the air around Lereux to rise up and hide him from sight. "And you're supposed to be invisible, remember," Harry hissed.

"I accomplished the first step to get what I wanted, true. And I told you, no one could see us from this vantage point.""Whatever," Harry answered dismissively, walking past Lereux to climb up the tower wall.

"Wait, we weren't done talking," Lereux complained.

"I was," Harry called down, already several feet up.

"Fine," Lereux called, before jumping and climbing up as well.

Harry looked down, of course he couldn't see Lereux, since his spell still held, but he could hear the older werewolf scrambling. Lereux's expensive wizarding boots probably didn't make good footwear for climbing.

Harry smiled and turned back to climbing, determined to make it up to his dormitory room before Lereux could catch up to him.

Lereux seemed to catch onto the game because suddenly the sounds of his feet scraping against the wall became a little more frantic.

With a burst of strength Harry jumped up the last few feet to catch the outcrop of his dormitory window before pulling himself up.

Harry opened the window quietly, and crawled through the gap before turning and closing the window behind him. After a second's thought he locked it too.

Harry turned to make sure all of his dorm mates were still sleeping, which they were as it was still quite early, so Harry tossed off his cloak and became visible once more.

When he turned back to the window Harry was surprised to see Lereux sitting outside of the window. Harry had thought the other werewolf had given up or fallen or something, but it seemed he had finally made it up the tower, not that it would do him any good."Let Me In," Lereux mouthed, clasping his hands together as if begging.

Harry smiled playfuly and shook his head.

Lereux sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes. Then pointing to his head, as if suddenly struck with a great idea, Lereux pulled out his wand and touched the tip to the glass window. The window immediately frosted over, making Lereux look like a gray and fuzzy blob now.

Harry stepped closer to the window, curious.

Suddenly, words started appearing, Lereux was writing them from the other side, Harry realized.

After a few moments the message read: Hogsmead trip this weekend - I can disguise us- want to go?

Harry smiled, that was certainly the most creative way he was asked somewhere, still didn't change his answer though.

Reaching out to the frosted window, Harry wrote a single word, No.

Unlike the other wolves in his pack, Harry didn't really care about hurting Lereux's feelings. Besides, Lereux didn't deserve any kindness after the way he had acted the night before.

Harry waited for a moment, wondering what Lereux would write back, but after a moment of nothing, the frost began to melt, revealing that Lereux had gone.

Shrugging, Harry turned to his trunk to get his clothes for the day.

As Harry got dressed, he looked over his schedule.

Harry wasn't particularly looking forward to it. He had Defense against the Dark Arts, Divination, and Potions.

Usually he would enjoy Defense against the Dark Arts, but not this year. He had heard enough about Umbridge, including that one time when he met the woman over the Summer, to know he didn't like her.

At least he wouldn't have to hear her lecture though, Fred and George had already mentioned that Umbridge just made the class read during the entire class period.

Harry planned to bring along one his Occlumency books though so that he wouldn't be tempted to do anything that would bring undue attention on him.

There was little Harry could do to prepare for Divination or Potions though. Those would have to be suffered through as usual.

* * *

"Albus, why did you request to see me now? It's ridiculously early, and I'm sure whatever you have to say could wait till breakfast at the very least," Snape complained, entering the Headmaster's office.

"Severus, please take a seat," Dumbledore asked, looking tired he had several large dusty tombs spread out across his desk. "I have been researching the ritual that Voldemort used to resurrect himself."

Instantly sobering after hearing Voldemort's name, Snape sat up straighter. "And what have you found?"

"Nothing good it seems. Voldemort now shares Harry's blood, but the connection goes deeper than that. I am afraid that there might be a mind connection between Harry and Voldemort."

"That definitely does not bode well. But what can we do? I suppose we could make sure that Potter has restricted access to important information-"

"Severus, that is simply not enough. I called you here to ask you if you could teach the boy Occlumency."

"Occlumency?" Snape repeated hollowly. "That art takes more determination than the boy possesses Albus, it's simply not possible."

"It is your job to make it possible," Dumbledore returned solemnly.

* * *

It was with a heavy step that Harry entered his last class of the day, Potions.

Defense against the Dark Arts had went as well as could be expected, meaning that it took all of Harry's hard won patience to keep quiet.

That's the one thing Harry found hard to get used to as a werewolf. He had to keep a hard reign in on his anger, if he let it slip even a bit there was always a chance that it would fall the rest of the way and he wouldn't be able to control it any longer.

But Harry had been working on it, both with the relaxation methods with Sirius, and his own studies in Occlumency so it wasn't that difficult to drown out the whiny voice of Umbridge the whole time.

He missed Hermione get into a yelling match with Umbridge though, which he was a little disappointed about.

Seems she got detention, Ron found that part particularly funny since Hermione hardly ever got detention.

Divination was especially boring. Since Harry didn't really feel tired and found it hard to go asleep except for the few hours in the middle of the night with his pack around, he couldn't even find respite in unconsciousness.

Harry would have gladly spent the rest of his day in Divination though, if it meant that he could have just skipped out on one Potions class.

Snape seemed to be in a particularly foul mood that day. The moment Harry sat down in his seat and Snape swept into the room, he knew it was going to be a stressful class.

"After your three months of indolence, it seems it falls to me to squeeze out the pittance of your talents and try to foster them into actual skill in the art of Potion making." Snape turned with a sweep of his robes and turned to face the class.

"I will fail, but ah, that is life and we shall struggle on. Yet, I take comfort in knowing that though I shall fail, I will not fail alone," Snape then eyed several of the students among the class with a malicious glint in his eye.

Harry was not surprised to be one of them.

The class went on as usual, with Snape nit picking every little thing. Harry wasn't surprised that his potion turned out poorly. He wished he could have made it his own way, the way of the werewolves were much less complicated.

It didn't matter if you stirred the thing twelve times to the left or whatnot.

Harry sighed as the class ended, supremely happy for the end of classes that day.

"Mr. Potter, stay after class, if you'd be so kind," Snape ordered sarcastically.

Harry looked up from his bag with a feeling of dread.

"Yes, sir," Harry asked, approaching the dour man's desk when all of students had left.

"It has come to my attention that the…incident that you experienced at the end of last year may have left you with some ill effects," Snape looked pointedly at Harry's left arm.

Harry grabbed it automatically, even though the scar underneath no longer felt any pain.

"What kind of ill effects, sir?"

"The Headmaster has recently found evidence to believe that you may have a mental connection with the Dark Lord."

"Mental connection?" Harry asked.

"Yes, that he may be able to access your mind, or yours his. Have you noted any such things? Felt foreign emotions or particularly realistic dreams?"

Harry shook his head. "But sir, how would Voldemort be able to access my mind, see my thoughts, or what I was doing, wouldn't he need eye contact."

Snape looked up sharply. "What made you think that?"

Harry shrugged, "Just…reading in books. I-never mind, go on."

"The point is Potter, the Dark Lord may be able to read your thoughts, we can not allow this to continue."

"Of course sir.""The Headmaster has strongly suggested that I teach you a method, which when used correctly should help to defend yourself against the Dark Lord's mental attacks. It is called Occlumency."

Harry did his best to look as if that was the first time he had heard of the term.

"You will have lessons with me every Saturday night at 7:00 pm. I expect you to have this book read by our next meeting," Snape added, pulling out a large tome from his desk.

"Do I make myself clear?"

Harry nodded, taking the book, and glancing at the title. It was luckily one of the books he had read over summer.

"See, you then sir," Harry replied, happy to leave the dank classroom.

As Harry left, he allowed himself to think, since he couldn't allow himself pure unadulterated terror while in Snape's presence.

First of all, Voldemort might have been able to see into his mind? What did he see? Did he see anything? Was he still seeing things? Perhaps not, because Harry hadn't really noticed anything or sensed any of the other man's emotions, but then again, maybe Harry was so inept that he wouldn't be able to notice Voldemort's presence within his mind.

What's more, this very Saturday, Harry would have to allow Snape to perform Legilimency on him. That was how one began practicing Occlumency after all. What if Harry couldn't keep his memories secret? Then Snape would know he was a werewolf!

Harry continued walking, getting more worried by the minute.

Suddenly Harry bumped into a solid form and almost fell backwards if not for the strong hands gripping his arms.

"Walking the halls without looking where you're going? I think that warrants a detention, for callous disregard for the safety of the student population, wouldn't you say?"

Harry looked up to see Lereux grinning at him slyly, not the usual face of a teacher assigning detention.

"Detention," Harry snarled, stepping back from Lereux's hold, and thanking Merlin that the halls were still empty. "For you bumping into me, that's not fair."

Lereux just shrugged.

"You're just doing this because I declined your invitation to Hogsmeand, aren't you?" Harry accused.

"Maybe," Lereux answered, not looking ashamed in the slightest. "Look, I wanted to spend time with you. You didn't want to go to Hogsmead with me so I found another way, simple as that."

"Whatever, give me detention if you want, I don't care. I have other things to do at the moment. More important things," Harry added.

Harry pushed past Lereux and continued on his way.

"Wait, do you need help-"

"No, I don't," Harry shouted back, without turning around.

"Fine then, see you tomorrow at eight, my rooms," Lereux called.

"Your Class room," Harry corrected, before disappearing around the corner.

* * *

"I don't know what to do," Harry explained. He was pacing around the main clearing with Merri, John, and Karl watching concernedly.

"Do you have to take the lessons with Snape?" John asked.

"Yes! I can't just turn them down or it'd look really weird. I don't actually even want to turn them down anyway. I need to learn to block my mind. Before I thought I just needed to block Legilimens with eye to eye contact. But now Snape is saying that Voldemort could access my mind from any distance. That can't happen, so yes, I need these lessons."

"But you may have already become proficient in Occlumency, you said you hadn't felt Voldemort in your head," Karl noted.

"But I can't be sure, I don't know anything for certain."

"I say, you just go to the lessons, and do your best," Merri resolved.

"But he might find out-"

"Harry, you've been reading about this Occlumency thing extensively for a while. Sure, you may not be able to block him completely, but I think you know enough to keep your memories of us hidden. Besides, from what you told us, Legilimency is based a lot on what the caster is looking for. And I'm pretty sure the last thing Snape will be looking for is your memories of werewolves."

"And even if he did find out, just run out the room and come here to live out the rest of your life in peace and happiness," Karl joked.

Harry rolled his eyes, running his fingers through his hair. "I need to find something though, so I don't have rely on your, 'run back to Karl' plan."

"Actually, it's more of a, 'run back to Fenrir plan,' but whatever," Karl smirked.

Harry threw a fur pillow viciously in Karl's face. "You're hopeless."

* * *

The next day was particularly tense. Harry was mostly worried about his meeting with Snape on Saturday, while Hermione was still upset about her detention scheduled for eight that evening as well.

It was actually lucky for Harry that Hermione had detention at the same time as him, or he would have forgotten otherwise.

After Hermione jumped up with a worried look on her face that evening in the common room, Harry of course remembered his own detention and contemplated for a moment not going.

Harry feared actually upsetting the man though, or Lereux might make a scene and give Harry another detention for the first one that he ditched.

So deciding to just get it over with, Harry picked up the several Occlumency books that hadn't left his side for the last six hours and trudged up the Astronomy room.

The door was already half open, so Harry pushed through without knocking.

Harry was relieved to see that the classroom looked mostly the same. The lighting wasn't dimmed and candles didn't float anywhere, which was a good sign, Harry thought sardonically.

"Come in, come in," Lereux beckoned, a little over-enthusiastically, in Harry's opinion.

Harry sighed and walked into the classroom before dumping out his books on a nearby desk.

"So, what'd you want me to do? Did you actually want me to do a job or something for detention?" Harry asked curiously.

"Oh no, I just wanted to spend some time with you. Outside of class, I mean. And preferably when I don't have to worry about climbing up a tower," Lereux added with a small smile.

Harry shrugged. "alright then, I'll just finish up doing research for my transfiguration essay then."

"Here you can bring your books over here, I set up a chair for you. I'll just do some grading, while you can finish up with your homework."

Harry nodded and brought his books over, laying them out along with his notes as well. He had found some information on a certain amulet that could protect the mind and was eager to continue reading about it.

About ten minutes later, after reading through a couple of dense paragraphs, Harry realized that though the amulet was perfect for what he wanted, they were almost impossible to come by as only a handful were left in existence.

Harry groaned, it was yet another dead end.

"You need some help with your transfiguration homework?" Lereux asked concernedly.

Harry looked up to glare across the desk at Lereux. What made the older wizard so damn cheery?

"No," Harry answered sternly, as he had done with Hermione most of the day. Luckily for Harry, she was so worried about her detention that she didn't press too much into what Harry was studying.

"Are you sure? I may be only a lowly Astronomy teacher, but I still know some things."

Harry shook his head automatically, before really giving it any thought.

Maybe he should ask Lereux though? There was no reason why he shouldn't, since the professor already knew he was a werewolf.

Harry decided there was not harm in asking anyway.

"I'm not studying transfiguration," Harry admitted.

"Oh? What are you researching then?" Lereux asked interestedly, leaning over the desk.

"Do you happen to know Occlumency?" Harry asked.

Lereux shook his head.

Harry inwardly sighed. Well, perhaps it was too much to hope that Lereux would know how to practice an art that hardly anyone bothered with.

"I have heard of it though, why are you studying it?" Leruex continued. Harry looked up again, surprised.

"Well, the headmaster thinks that Voldemort may have a mind link with me. So he….well he got Snape to start giving me lessons in Occlumency. My first lesson is this Saturday."

"Which means he's going to use Legilimency on you," Lereux finished.

Harry nodded.

"I see your problem then," Lereux answered somberly. Harry was a bit pleased to see that the Astronomy professor wasn't looking as sprightly any longer.

"So I've been studying Occlumency as much as I can lately, but I doubt it'd be enough to hold of Snape for any amount of time. So basically, I'm asking you if you know of any other way to guard a mind, besides Occlumency?"

Lereux shook his head. "No, and there's so few Legilimens that for most, it's pointless to study Occlumency."

"Tell me something I don't know," Harry muttered, turning back to his books.

"But it seems to me, your problem isn't really Snape finding out your secrets."

"Oh, what is it then?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"Your problem lies with Snape telling your secrets."

"How's that any different?"

"It means that what you need to figure out isn't how to entirely block your mind, but how to make sure Snape won't be able to tell anyone what he finds."

"Oh, and how am I supposed to do that? That sounds even more difficult."

"Not really, there are several oaths of secrecy that I'm sure Professor Snape would agree to. And it's not so out of the ordinary to request one between teacher and student." Leureux looked at the spread out books and picked out one of the smaller ones for beginners. "Here, look at the etiquette section, I'm sure something is there."

Harry looked for himself and saw several secrecy oaths listed, and felt extremely foolish. He had never bothered to read that section, Harry had always focused on the practical parts of the book.

Trying not to sound even more dim-witted, Harry simply said, "Thanks," before beginning to read about the secrecy oaths listed.

* * *

Harry was jogging down one of Hogwarts' many hallways, trying to balance all of his books in his arms. He had just left Lereux's 'detention' a little later than he expected.

Harry had planned on meeting Hermione after her detention too and he didn't want to miss her.

Luckily, Harry made it just in time and caught Hermione down the second hallway.

"Hey," Harry shouted excitedly. He was feeling a lot better since he had figured out a possible solution to Snape's Occlumency lessons.

"Hi, Harry," Hermione answered, her voice brittle.

"So, what'd you have to do for your detention?" Harry asked curiously.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

They were nearing Gryffindor tower, but Harry stopped. "You don't want to talk about it? What happened, something bad?"

"I already talked to McGonagall. There's nothing she can do about it, just don't get detention with Umbridge," Hermione added bitterly.

"Why, what did she make you do?" Harry asked, now starting to get worried.

Hermione just shook her head again and walked forward.

Harry reached out to grab her hand gently, but Hermione just gasped and brought her hand up to her body.

"What happened, what's wrong with you hand?" Harry asked, trying to see.

After a moments indecision Hermione allowed Harry to look at her hand, a small tear leaking out her eye.

"It's a blood quill, Harry. She made me write with it and it carves a message onto your flesh. And it hurts quite a bit, so please don't make her angry. Stay away from her, Harry," Hermione pleaded.

Harry stood stock still, looking at the sentence carved into Hermione's flesh, "I will remain silent."

"And Umbridge won't be punished for this?" Harry asked, his voice taut with tension.

"McGonagall said it wasn't prudent to take a stand against her at this…time," Hermione finished lamely, a bit frightened of how angry Harry suddenly looked.

"She should be punished for this," Harry growled.

Hermione back up instinctively. "Harry, really you should calm down. I'll be fine, it was just a little surprising, that's all. Come back to Gryffindor tower with me."

Harry shook his head, turning around and dropping his books to the side of the hallway.

"Harry, come on, we need to go back to Gryffindor tower," Hermione pleaded once more.

Harry glanced at Hermione's hand again, even though the sight of his friend's hand scratched through would be forever burned in his memory.

The wave of anger crashed through him again, and Harry automatically turned, to search out the enemy that had harmed a member of his family.

"Harry," Hermione shouted, as Harry turned and disappeared down the hallway.

Hermione was worried Harry might do something drastic and was contemplating either following Harry herself or getting a teacher when Lereux appeared with his usual easy going smile.

"Hi Miss Granger, have you happened to see Harry around? He left this book in my rooms."

"Professor Lereux! I'm so relieved to see you, Harry was just here, but I think he went to start something with Umbridge. He got really angry at what she made me do for detention, and you have to stop him, he'll get detention to-"

"I'll do what I can," Lereux answered, thinking that if he didn't stop Harry in time, Harry would have a lot more to worry about than a detention. More likely a stay in Azkaban or a meeting with the executioner's ax.

Lereux left Hermione then and ran in the direction of Umbridge's classroom. He started to get worried when he didn't find Harry immediately.

But there, only a couple doors down from Umbridge's classroom, Harry stalked.

"Harry!" Lereux shouted in a loud whisper, trying to distract the intent pup.

To Lereux's frustration, it didn't work and he had to keep running to catch up with Harry.

Lereux finally made it to Harry's side.

"Harry, you need to come back to your dormitory," Lereux insisted, taking Harry's hand.

Harry whipped around, out of Lereux's hold.

Lereux was a bit troubled to see that Harry's eyes were already hazing over with a golden tinge.

Harry looked up, seemingly surprised to see Lereux standing before him, before blinking rapidly.

"I need…to go," Harry said, but it felt weird to talk, he had been imagining Umbridge's blood in his mouth for the last couple of minutes.

"Yes, I'll take you back to Gryffindor tower-"

"No, I can't go back there, I'll leave again to kill Umbridge. I need to go, now," Harry explained, visibly trying to control himself.

"Can you get my books that I dropped, and give an excuse to Hermione. I won't be going back there tonight."

Lereux nodded. "Of course."

"Thanks," Harry added, forcing himself to turn away from Umbridge's door. Down the corridor there was thankfully a window. Harry launched himself out it without a second thought while pulling the air around him to make himself invisible.

Since he showed up early, Fenrir and Catherine weren't waiting for him as was usual.

Instead, Harry disapperated to the main clearing himself.

Several of the werewolves already present in the main clearing turned to greet Harry, but Harry didn't stop to reply.

Finally giving into the need to return to his werewolf state that extreme emotion usually prompted within him, Harry turned and ran off into the forest.

His pack members looked after him curiously.

"Go get Fenrir," Catherine ordered to one the scouts near her while she watched Harry disappear into darkness.

* * *

Fenrir had transformed into his werewolf form as well, as he wouldn't have been able to catch up to Harry in his enhanced human form.

However, even as a werewolf, he was hard-pressed to outrun Harry. His pup was fast, but fortunately for Fenrir not as experienced with the farther out terrain of their territory.

Though naturally graceful as a werewolf, there were several spots along the track where Fenrir could see that Harry had stumbled or lost his footing marginally, no one else would have noted it but it was enough that Fenrir was able to catch up after several minutes of intense chase.

Fenrir grinned as he saw his pup's black tail bobbing in the distance.

"_Harry, Stop_!" Fenrir barked, nearing Harry's right side.

Harry just kept running, and if it was possible, increased his pace.

Fenrir snorted angrily. A member of his pack hadn't disobeyed a direct order of his in a long time.

Tired of running, and now supremely curious as to what had Harry so riled up, Fenrir decided to just end the chase.

With a powerful surge of his hind legs, Fenrir jumped at Harry, slamming into the smaller canine body, and sending them both skidding into the underbrush of a nearby bush.

Harry yelped and instinctively rolled with the blow and ended up on his back underneath the bush with Fenrir's body pinning him.

"_Get off_," Harry growled angrily.

Fenrir didn't move. "_No, I want to know what happened, why are you so angry? Angry enough to disobey a direct order of mine_?"

"_Sod your orders_," Harry spat angrily, not thinking, only feeling rage. The single minded anger shut everything else out, and without Umbridge around to chew on, Harry lashed out unthinkingly and bit Fenrir.

He ended up nicking Fenrir's right ear. Harry felt a moment of glee, at finally biting something, before Fenrir glanced down again looking very annoyed.

The only thing Harry felt then was cold dread that perhaps he had pushed Fenrir too far this time.

Fenrir deliberately opened his jaw and clamped down on Harry's exposed neck.

Harry didn't dare move, he could feel Fenrir's sharp canines digging into his throat. The action clearly said, "_Watch yourself, pup_." Harry almost though he could hear Fenrir saying it in his mind.

Slowly Fenrir backed away, but Harry stayed on his back showing his belly, afraid that moving would upset Fenrir even more.

Fenrir waited a moment and then bent his head, and pushed Harry's back, indicating that he could move.

Harry rolled over gratefully, but still kept his head bent and his tail down.

"_Now, would you care to tell me what had you so upset_?"

"_I'm not angry anymore! I'm sorry I bit your ear,_" Harry pleaded, inching forward to lick the tops of Fenrir's front paws.

Fenrir sighed and lay down before Harry. "_It's fine, I'm fine,_" Fenrir comforted. But Harry didn't seem to believe him because the pup kept licking the top of Fenrir's paws before moving onto the side of Fenrir's head and then on to the ear.

Fenrir laughed inwardly at the pup's antics, but allowed Harry to continue, since it seemed to be calming him down somewhat.

After Harry had satisfied himself that Fenrir was all right, he laid back down and rested his head on Fenrir's outstretched paws.

"_It was Umbridge_," Harry mumbled.

Fenrir growled at the mention of the name. "_Did she hurt you_?"

"_No, but my friend, Hermione, she had detention with her. She hurt Hermione, made her bleed_," Harry gnashed his teeth, starting to get incensed once more.

"_Hush_," Fenrir ordered, butting his head against Harry's. "_I understand that you are upset that your friend got hurt, but you must stay away from Umbridge. I have heard of that witch, she hates our kind, and all half breeds. You'll need to keep your anger under control while around her, alright?"_

Harry nodded, considering Fenrir's words.

But it was hard for Harry to feel worried about how he would act the next day while he was lying quietly beside his alpha.

Fenrir always made him feel happier and safe. Just a couple minutes with the alpha and a stern word from him, and Harry found the intense rage he had felt melting away from him.

Harry still felt bad about biting Fenrir, but Fenrir had forgiven him, he was a good alpha and Harry felt suddenly very grateful to be with him.

The evening was surprisingly warm for September and moonlight filtered through the upper tree leaves, making everything look silvery and calm.

Harry would later blame the peaceful surroundings, his stressful day, and the werewolf's natural candidness for what he said next.

_"I think I'd like to choose you as my mate, if I choose a mate that is. I haven't really decided what to do about that yet. But if I did choose a mate, I think it'd be you._" Luckily, the wave of embarrassment that would most likely have followed such a declaration never came, as the werewolf felt no reason to feel ashamed. Harry was simply stating his feelings.

"_Would you mind if I did choose you?_" Harry continued, rolling onto his side so he could stare up at Fenrir.

Fenrir gazed down at Harry, looking pleased, "_No, of course not. I would be greatly honored if you were to choose me_," Fenrir answered sincerely.

"_Why would you even ask that pup?_"

"_I don't know, just making sure you aren't just doing this to be nice or something._"

Fenrir scoffed and swatted Harry's ear playfully.

"_Foolish pup, you know I don't do nice._"

"_Yes, you do, you just don't let most people see it because you have to be the Big Bad Alpha Woooooo_," Harry yowled cheekily.

"_You're much more impertinent in this form, I see_," Fenrir noted.

"_No, I always think these things, I just don't say them. Now whenever I'm around in my human form you'll always be wondering what funny things I'm thinking. And you'll be oh so very jealous,_" Harry smirked, still upside down with his tongue lolling around.

"_Jealous, eh? Well then I'll just have to think of someway to get you to tell me_," Fenrir suddenly pounced, pinning Harry to the ground.

Fenrir scrunched up his face and gave one of his more fierce growls.

Harry laughed and just reached up to lick Fenrir's nose.

"_I'm not intimidating_?" Fenrir asked disappointedly.

"_Not when you don't mean it_," Harry answered. "_At least not to me._"

_"And how can you tell when I mean it or not_?"

_"It's your eyes_," Harry answered simply. "_They're very expressive. Like now, they're hazel when you're calm. Earlier they were almost golden when you get vexed. I like your eyes, if we had a pup together I'd hope they'd have your color eyes_."

"_Not green_?" Fenrir asked, trying to stay with the conversation even though the mention of having a pup with Harry was threatening to distract him.

"_Of course I wouldn't mind green, only that I'd prefer it if our pup had your color eyes._"

"_Hmm,_" Fenrir answered vaguely, it was difficult to think of a more coherent response with Harry beneath him talking about their possible future cubs together.

Harry laughed.

"_What is it_?" Fenrir asked.

"_Your eyes, I just discovered a new color. They turn almost black when you're aroused_."

Fenrir jumped off Harry hurriedly. "_I apologize_-"

"_No need to, it's nice to see that you like me that way_," Harry answered, flipping over and standing to face Fenrir.

"_You do like me that way, right_?"

Fenrir nodded, not trusting himself to actually speak.

"_Good, because I like you that way too_," Harry answered, moving forward to nuzzle Fenrir's neck. Harry was suddenly overcome with the sense of peace and rightness he consistently felt when he was around Fenrir.

Then, coming to a decision, Harry stepped back.

"_When the whole situation is over with Voldemort and the wizards, I want us to be together. I don't think it'd all be ready by my birthday next year, but do you think you could wait? Just until our enemies are out of the way, and then we start our own life together?_"

"_Really, you plan on choosing me?_" Fenrir asked disbelievingly. Even though Harry had said as much before, it was still surprising to hear that the pup really did intend to choose him.

Harry nodded. "_Yes, you. Only you_."

Fenrir spun around happily, looking like he was chasing his tail. He hadn't felt so exuberant since he was a cub himself.

Stopping himself after a moment Fenrir answered, "_Of course I'll wait. Anything your little wicked heart desires_."

Harry laughed and joined Fenrir in romping around the trees. When he came to a leaves pile, Harry jumped in that, enjoying the look of the leaves rising up all around him and the smell of fall that was coming on.

Fenrir jumped in after Harry too, pinning him in the process. Fenrir seemed to like to do that, pin him, but Harry didn't mind, it made him feel safe and loved.

As he started dozing off, Harry hoped that he would be able to spend every night for the rest of his life in the same way, feeling warm and comfortable with Fenrir beside him and the moon shining down from above.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	25. Making Deals

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

* * *

Fenrir sensed Harry fall asleep beside him and felt very content.

His pup had chosen him! Fenrir didn't really think that Harry would choose any of the other werewolves, but Harry had seemed very intent on not choosing anyone at one point.

But that had changed, Harry had said he'd want to be with him once Voldemort was out of the picture.

That incentive was enough that Fenrir considered going out to kill the wizard himself. To be successful though, he'd most likely have to involve his pack and there would of course be some casualties, and Harry would never forgive himself even if the pup had nothing to do with it.

So Fenrir resolved to stay out of the conflict for the time being and let Harry kill the bastard himself, if that was what the pup really wanted. Fenrir had no doubt Harry could kill Voldemort, given some more time and training.

Though normally easy going, Harry could be absolutely _vicious _when angered. Harry would certainly be entertaining as a mate, that was for sure.

Fenrir was interrupted in his musings when he heard someone approaching. Immediately standing and taking a protective stance over the still sleeping Harry, Fenrir took a sniff of the air as the bind blew lightly.

It was Catherine.

Treading lightly so as not to wake Harry, Fenrir left the leaf pile and walked forward to meet Catherine, transforming along the way.

"There you are! I've finally got here, do you realize how far you two ran?"

"That was entirely not my fault," Fenrir gruffly replied.

"Nonetheless, you were supposed to find him and bring him back," Catherine admonished. "You know you're not supposed to be alone with him. I only just convinced the other alphas not to come out here searching for themselves, and that was only because you are their leader and still technically Harry's guardian. I do hope my trust wasn't misplaced in you. Nothing untoward happened did it? And why are you bleeding, did you-"

"Catherine, everything is fine, nothing happened," Fenrir reassured.

"Then why is your ear bleeding," Catherine asked, brow raised questioningly.

Fenrir looked off to the side a bit embarrassedly, it'd been a while since anyone in his pack had gotten a blow in on him.

"Harry just bit me, he wasn't thinking, and it's nothing really. He was just angry over matters at school, one of his friends was hurt."

Catherine nodded understandingly. "So did you want to bring him back to the sleeping den?"

"No, he's just as comfortable here and I think he would rather be away from the pack at the moment. Stay and watch over him though, he'll probably want to talk to someone when he wakes up," Fenrir ordered, before turning and walking away to the main clearing to calm his pack and the other alphas.

It was obvious Fenrir wasn't going to stay and explain so Catherine made herself comfortable and resolved to wait for Harry to wake up to get some answers.

* * *

Harry woke up slowly, he reached out a hand automatically, expecting to feel Fenrir beside him, but there was nothing.

Wait...hand? Harry opened his eyes, thinking he was probably naked as he had transformed into a werewolf while still in his wizarding clothes, clothes which were probably already lying shredded around the forest.

After looking down though, Harry was relieved to see that a blanket was covering most of his body. Recognizing Catherine's scent almost immediately, Harry turned, only to catch a pile of cloth with his face.

"You're lucky I remembered to bring you some clothing, in the future you should remember for yourself and not just dash off like that," Catherine scolded lightly, though Harry could tell by her tone that she was amused.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled, ducking under the blanket and pulling the simple pants and the long but very comfortable shirt that the werewolves favored.

"So what happened?" Catherine asked, once Harry had finished.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Harry tried to jog his memory. The day had been very stressful, Hermione had gotten hurt by that bitch Umbridge, Harry mentally resolved to fix that problem immediately. And then Harry had come home, and then ran off to get his temper under control, Fenrir had followed.

Harry's mind then jumped in quick succession as he remembered everything that had happened the night before but all Harry could hear in his mind was himself saying, "_I like your eyes, if we had a pup together I'd hope they'd have your color eyes_."

Oh, he was such a fool! Who says that? "_I hope they have your eyes," _that's such a corny thing to say, Harry berated himself.

Harry groaned and wrapped himself in the blanket once more, blocking out the moonlight and Catherine's face.

He was sure he'd never be able to face anyone ever again. Harry wondered vaguely, could you die of embarrassment?

"Harry, it surely couldn't be that bad. I know you bit him-

Harry squeaked in his blanket. He had totally forgotten about the bite thing too! No one bit the head Alpha, _no one. _Well, no one did it and got away with it anyway. That's it, Harry thought, he was going to die. He. Was. Going. To. Die. If not from embarrassment, then just old fashioned murder.

Catherine walked over to the shivering bundle that Harry had burrowed himself into and lifted the edge of the blanket worriedly.

"Harry are you alright?"

Harry launched himself at Catherine and hugged her tightly.

Catherine grabbed Harry automatically back, a bit surprised. She wasn't really the mothering type, she was more used to giving orders. But if this was what Harry needed, then Catherine was confident she could do a passable job.

Catherine patted the Harry's back comfortingly. "You're safe, just tell me what happened, I'm sure it's nothing that can't be fixed."

Harry nodded, and released his death hold on Catherine, sitting back in his blanket covered leaf pillow, before spilling out everything that had happened.

Harry even included the ridiculous things he had said to Fenrir as a werewolf, it made him blush a cherry red but he had to tell someone or the words would just keep bouncing around in his own head and drive him insane.

When he had finished, Harry looked up at Catherine worriedly. But Catherine just had a small smile on her face, she was clearly amused.

"This isn't funny," Harry cried. "Fenrir might kill me for biting him or kick me out of the pack for being such a sap-"

Catherine laughed out right then.

"He's not going to do anything of the sort. He's already forgiven you for biting him, and I daresay he was very pleased by what you told him. You know this for yourself Harry, you're just over reacting and confused, but everything is fine, it really is," Catherine added at Harry's disbelieving look.

"He was probably just humoring me, or something. He's probably laughing about it right now-" Harry's heart felt heavy at the very thought."Harry, listen to me, Fenrir returns your affections, he wouldn't have lied to you about that."

"But what if he didn't-"

"Why are you finding this so hard to believe!" Catherine interrupted.

"Well, things just don't happen like this. Like...if I were back at school and I liked someone, and we were going out or something, you wouldn't just all of a sudden say, 'hey, I think I'd like to be with you forever, yes, let's do that,' it's ridiculous."

Catherine sighed, "When you think too much you sound so much like a wizard. Of course that wouldn't work for humans, they have to shuffle around and just end up lying and hurting each other more often than not."

Catherine reached out to take Harry's hand in hers. "The point is, Harry, would you eventually want Fenrir as a mate?"

Harry shrugged and looked away.

"Answer the question, Harry," Catherine chided.

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed. "Alright, yes."

"Good, at least you admitted it to yourself. Thank goodness your werewolf mind had more sense or we'd never get anywhere. And I can assure you that Fenrir feels similarly. He did not lie to you, and this is not some elaborate ploy to mock you, understand?"

"I know you're right, I was just over reacting. It's just...it's a lot to finally realize about yourself in one night. And what if I made the wrong choice? What if I can't make a good mate to the head alpha, that's a lot of responsibility, you know. And isn't it unfair of me to ask Fenrir to wait? I don't even know how long it will take before Voldemort is defeated-"

"Harry, stop worrying. You'll do fine, and if Fenrir didn't want to wait for you, he would have said so. It obviously isn't bothering him, so you shouldn't worrying about it either. Now, are you ready to go back? You ran quite a ways and if you want to make it to school on time we should be leaving soon."

Harry looked worriedly in the direction of the main clearing.

"We can still talk on the way if you want," Catherine reassured. "it'll be fine."

Harry sighed and pulled the blanket around him. "Alright I'm coming."

* * *

Catherine and Harry walked in silence for several moments until Harry got up the courage to ask another question.

"Catherine, I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

"Well, last night, you know how I mentioned pups?"

Catherine nodded.

"It's a bit weird, but I look forward to that, it'd really be my own family, you know? But anyway, what I was wondering was...like how does that happen. I never really cared before because I always just assumed I would never be with anyone like that but now, well obviously I've thought about it. But now I'm curious just about how it...happens, I don't have the right parts," Harry asked awkwardly.

Catherine nodded understandingly. "Well first of all you need to know that a mating which could produce a pup would have to take place while you were in your wolf form. Oh, and it has to take place on the full moon as well," Catherine explained.

"Oh so if I uh...mated while in human form or in wolf form on a non-full moon night, I wouldn't be able to get pregnant?"

"Correct, which doesn't mean you are free to go around having sex with Fenrir any time soon though," Catherine warned bluntly.

Harry flushed, "that wasn't what I was thinking, I was just curious. What is it about the wolf form though, that allows this to happen?"

"You are a submissive werewolf, so it naturally follows that your wolf form has the ability to carry young."

"Oh, so the cub would just carry over into my human form then?"

"Yes, your human abdomen will be able to accommodate the growing pups, though you will only be able to actually birth the cubs when you are in your wolf form."

"Will I develop um..." Harry gestured to his chest.

Catherine laughed. "No, you will not have to breast feed your young. Werewolf cubs eat meat, usually very raw meat. Their bodies crave blood more often than not. You will have to chew their food though."

"Chew it?" Harry asked, nose wrinkling.

"Yes, and then regurgitate it. The bearer's saliva mixed in with the blood and meat is very nutritious for the new born cub."

"How am I supposed to feed that to a baby?" Harry asked.

"The cub will be conceived when the bearer is in the wolf form and the bearer will be in their wolf form when they give birth, so it follows that the cub is born as a wolf as well. It will be no problem feeding the werewolf cub meat and such, they will do fine with it, as long as the meat is already chewed, of course. The cub will start to shift back and forth between their human form and wolf form a couple months after they are born. Their human form will appear a couple of years older than their wolf form, so though you may have a three month old cub, when they transform it will look as if they are a three year old child."

"Oh wow," Harry mumbled. "I didn't realize how much I didn't know."

"Yes, it is very difficult to raise a werewolf cub, it takes a lot of time and energy. You see how rambunctious the cubs we have now are. Can you imagine how much more so a natural born werewolf would be? They often get into trouble and get hurt because they haven't yet developed the healing abilities that adult werewolves have. They have to be watched constantly."

"It sounds impossible," Harry exclaimed, thinking of how difficult it was to just baby sit one of the younger cubs for even half a day. They ran everywhere!

"Don't worry, you'll have the entire pack to help you. Besides, I daresay Fenrir will probably not let the cub out of his sight for the first six years or so."

Harry laughed.

"Really? You think so? I would have thought that as the bearer it'd be up to me to watch the cub for the most part."

"Well, you will have to care for the cub, but just because Fenrir is the alpha doesn't mean he won't help you. Fenrir would be a very concerned father. You know, he lost his parents when he was a teenager? Considering how long werewolves usually life, that is a great loss for one so comparatively young. I think the experience will have made him even more appreciative of a relationship between a parent and a child."

Harry nodded. "That is good to know. I didn't have...a great upbringing either. I'm glad that my child will have such a good family," Harry smiled at the thought.

"But what do I tell the other alphas, now that I've already chosen Fenrir, I mean," Harry asked.

"You can tell them what you wish, that you have already decided upon Fenrir. However, they technically have until your 16th birthday to court you. So they may decided to continue courting you, in the hopes that you may still change your mind."

Harry shook his head. "I won't."

Catherine shrugged. "It is their choice, and their right to court you until the set date when you have formally chosen Fenrir."

"What happens then, after I have chosen Fenrir on my birthday?"

"A bonding ceremony will be held, it will be up to you as to when you wish to complete the bond through mating."

Harry nodded, still thinking. He started recognizing the trees and realized they were coming up to the main clearing. It was going to be a nerve-wracking day, he had to figure out how to let down several werewolves and make sure that Hermione didn't get hurt anymore from Umbridge.

All that left his mind though when Harry suddenly felt himself being lifted into the air and placed onto a strong pair of shoulders.

Harry yelped in surprise before realizing it was just Fenrir. Not wanting to fall backwards, Harry automatically leaned forward to wrap his arms around Fenrir's neck.

"Good morning," Fenrir greeted brightly.

"Morning," Harry replied a bit embarrassedly.

"Did you sleep alright? I apologize for leaving earlier, I had to sort some things out with the rest of the pack."

"Yes, I slept fine," Harry answered, bobbing slightly with each step Fenrir took.

"Did Catherine answer all of your questions?"

"Yes-wait, how'd you know I'd have questions?"

"Harry, you always have questions. How long did it take you to calm him down after he woke up?" Fenrir continued, looking towards Catherine.

"Well, after frantically explaining his day, it only took about half an hour to convince him you weren't going to kill him for biting your ear, kick him out of the pack, or joking about the whole affair."

"Catherine!" Harry exclaimed. "It's not really necessary to mention that," Harry continued in a fierce whisper.

Catherine shrugged, "He asked."

Fenrir chuckled. "It is a shame then that I wasn't there to see that. You do know I wasn't being untruthful when I said I was honored by your choice in me thought right?"

Harry nodded. "I always knew you wouldn't lie about that. It was just...right after waking up, it was a lot of information to take in, and I was embarrassed and didn't know what to think."

Fenrir nodded as they entered the main clearing. The elder werewolf easily lifted Harry off of his shoulders and set him gently down on the ground.

"Why did you have to leave last night, did you come back to tell the other werewolves of my decision?" Harry asked.

Fenrir shook his head. "No, I had to explain what had happened, and why I was alone with you, since it's technically not allowed between us at this point. But as I am your guardian as well, and you needed assistance at the moment...Well, once I explained none of the other alphas had any further complaints."

"Oh, so I'll still have to tell them of my decision then?" Harry asked a bit nervously.

"Well, you don't have to, you can wait until your birthday to officially declare your chosen mate," Catherine reminded.

"But I've already chosen, I'd feel badly if I just kept them in the dark about it."

"It is your choice, Harry," Fenrir comforted.

Harry nodded, "alright, I'll tell them tonight."

* * *

Harry jogged to his usual place below Gryffindor tower, his werewolf clothing whipping behind him, since his school uniform got torn to shreds.

As Harry neared the castle he saw Lereux standing against the wall again. Still invisible, Harry took Lereux's arm and dragged him to a small alcove off the to the side where he knew they'd not be seen.

"I need to talk to you," Harry began.

"Really?" Lereux asked, a large smile on his face. "I needed to talk to you too."

"Oh? You go first," Harry prompted quickly.

"Alright, well just to get you caught up, I went back to get your books. Miss Granger was still waiting there, so I told her that I sent you up to the infirmary to get a calming draught and to sleep there for the rest of the night. She actually still has your books, but don't worry, I glamored them to make them look like transfiguration texts."

"Thanks," Harry cut in awkwardly, he was starting to get nervous.

"No problem, that whole affair is hopefully finished with. So what did you want to talk to me about?" Lereux asked, still looking eager.

"Well..."Harry started, but he just couldn't go on when Lereux still had that foolish smile on his face. Getting frustrated, Harry snapped, "What are you so thrilled about, did something else happen that you haven't mentioned yet?"

"No," Lereux answered, looking confused. "I just thought well that... maybe you had changed your mind about Hogsmead this weekend, since I had helped you yesterday and you realized you started to like me after all."

Harry made a monumental effort not to bang his head against the stone wall beside him.

"No, Lereux-"

"Call me, Demetri," Lereux interrupted.

"What?"

"It's my first name, we should be on a first name basis now," Lereux explained.

Harry sighed. "No, Lereux, I'm not going to call you Demetri and I don't want to talk to you about going out this weekend."

"Oh, then what is it?"

Damn it, now he looked sad, Harry mentally groaned. Either way, this wasn't going to work out well.

"Well, you see, Lereux. I was thinking about...everything really and I've decided I am going to choose Fenrir as my mate. I just thought you should know so you don't have to be worried about this for the rest of the year or anything..." Harry trailed off.

"You're choosing Fenrir?" Lereux asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, why is it so surprising?" Harry returned.

"Well, it's just, it is a bit soon. I mean, you have the rest of the year to decide."

"Yes, I know. But, well it's obvious to me that he's the one I am going to choose, and I didn't want you to have to waste a year on something that is not going to happen. I was trying to be considerate," Harry added defensively.

"But you have the rest of the year to decide," Lereux argued.

"I've decided _now,"_ Harry returned.

"I beg you to reconsider your choice, you'd see I would make a much better match for you," Lereux replied sternly.

"I've spent these last three months considering it, and I've chosen.""And yet, you've only known me for a couple of days," Lereux argued.

"It wouldn't matter how long I've known you because I've already made my choice," Harry explained again.

Lereux looked supremely angry for a moment, before seemingly composing himself.

"Despite whatever you say, I still have until your birthday to convince you."

"Do what you want to feel you have to do, but it's not going to make any difference. And thank you for your help yesterday, but I really must be going," Harry finished austerely before rising the air around himself again to climb back up the tower.

This time Lereux did not follow.

* * *

"So, why don't witches like to ride brooms when they're angry?" Seamus asked at breakfast that morning. It had become a bit of a tradition that Seamus, Dean, and Neville would act out every day. One of them would tell a joke, usually involving thinly veiled sexual innuendo, the others would give shocking responses that were more often than not more outrageous than the actual answer.

"Because they don't want to get splinters up their arse," Dean replied promptly with a grin.

"Noooo," Seamus dragged out the sound. "It's because..."

"Just spit it out already," Neville exclaimed.

"It's because they're afraid they'll fly off the handle!"

Seamus and Dean laughed uproariously, while Neville shook his head with a smile.

Harry couldn't help but snort, not at the joke as it was a pretty sad joke as jokes go. But just to see three of his friends get a kick out of such a poor joke was funny in itself.

At that moment, the usual flock of owls swooped into the hall. Harry was surprised when an imposing looking gray owl stopped in front of him with a rectangular package.

It was wrapped elaborately, with sparkling red wrapping.

"Is today something special?" Ron asked curiously around his breakfast bacon.

Harry shook his head. "Didn't think so."

Taking the package over to his lap, Harry opened it quickly and was a little surprised to only see an elegant, though sever looking quill lying inconspicuously on a satin pillow.

Harry set the package on the table, keeping the note that accompanied it.

Harry opened the note, already suspecting who sent the package.

_Dear Harry,_

_Please accept this small token of my overwhelming affection for you. Hopefully it will help you keep up with your school work so we can spend more time together in the future._

_Devotedly Yours, Demetri_

"Whoa, who got you that?" Ginny asked amazedly. Several stunned gasps were echoed along the table.

"It didn't say, just an admirer," Harry answered, burning the note to invisible ashes between his fingers. "Why the shock over such a small gift, it's just a quill."

"More than just a quill, it's a Query Quill. The Qwick-Notes Quill that Skeeter uses is a cheap knockoff. This quill can take direct dictation, paraphrase, corrects spelling, and can add additional information on a subject," Ginny explained.

"It's like an encyclopedia in a pen. It can basically write your papers for you if you use it right," Neville added in a whisper.

"You'll have to disguise it. Students aren't allowed to own them. Usually only wealthy professionals with too little time bother to spend the money on them," Ron informed. It was obvious that the other boy was jealous.

Harry put the lid back on the box and tossed it to Ron.

Ron automatically caught it, with a confused look on his face.

"It's yours," Harry explained nonchalantly.

"What? No, I can't take this-" Ron protested.

"Sure you can, I don't want it. Besides, you'll let me use your notes right?"

Ron sighed but nodded. "Fine, we'll share it then."

Harry shrugged. "Alright but you hold it for now," Harry added, smiling as he noted the reverent way that Ron was now caressing the box.

Harry didn't need to turn his head to feel the fierce glare that Lereux was directing at him from the head table.

* * *

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked.

He and Ron were both sitting in the Transfiguration classroom, waiting for the first class of the day to start, and Hermione had yet to make an appearance.

"She's still getting ready probably. She was pretty upset last night since she has another detention tonight-"

"She what!" Harry exclaimed suddenly.

"Yea, she didn't tell you? Umbridge said she didn't make enough of an impression or something. I don't know why she's so upset though, Hermione said she just had to do lines."

"She didn't tell you?" Harry asked, just realizing that Ron didn't know the complete truth behind the detention.

"Tell me what?"

Harry shook his head, just noticing that Hermione was coming into the room. She slid next to Harry and took out her books.

"Good morning," she began brightly, though Harry could tell it was a bit false.

McGonagall swept into the room directly afterwards and any further talking was impossible.

After class Harry pulled Hermione down a side hallway."Were you planning on telling me?"

"Telling you what?" Hermione asked nervously.

"About your detention tonight," Harry explained, getting frustrated.

Hermione sighed. "Ron must have told you, I told him not to mention it but he probably forgot. And no, I wasn't planning on telling you."

"Why not?" Harry asked, hurt.

"Harry, there's nothing we can do, and it was my fault anyway for being foolish and talking. You got so angry yesterday, I don't want you doing something that'd only get you into trouble."

"But it's not right, I can't just stand by and let you get hurt," Harry explained.

"Harry, that is very noble of you, but really, it's just tonight, and it'll be over. I won't be stupid enough to get another detention with her. And there's nothing you can do in any case."

"We can create a distraction, or I can go in-"

"Harry, don't even say it. You're not going in my place, it's not that bad. I can handle it on my own," Hermione stated firmly.

Harry glared at the wall.

"Harry, promise me you won't do anything, I don't want you getting hurt or caught."

"Fine, I promise," Harry grumbled.

* * *

Harry skipped his next class, he needed time to think. He ended up just wandering around outside, the fresh air helped him.

While standing on one of the deserted bridges around Hogwarts, Harry heard someone approaching.

Harry sighed, when he turned to see it was Lereux.

"This isn't a good time," Harry muttered.

"I saw you walking around outside alone. Don't you have class right now?"

Harry shrugged.

Looking uncomfortable for a moment, Lereux seemed to come to a decision and took something from an inside pocket.

"I've brought you something," Lereux continued, holding out a package.

"I don't want your gifts," Harry answered, without looking at the box.

Lereux took the box back with disappointed look on his face.

"What's wrong, did my previous gift upset you in some way? I apolog-"

"Not everything has to do with you, you know," Harry snapped.

"Perhaps you wouldn't find this conversation so grating if you actually told me what was wrong," Lereux returned, loosing his patience.

"Hermione has another detention, alright. Now leave me alone," Harry retorted, folding his arms.

But Lereux didn't leave.

"So what are you planning on doing?" the astronomy professor asked.

"What's it to you?"

"You don't know do you?"

"Not really, no," Harry admitted.

Lereux snorted, trying to hold in a laugh.

"This isn't funny," Harry exclaimed.

"Oh calm down, everything's going to be fine."

"Really? What part of this situation is fine, because I certainly can't see it."

"Well, it would be fine, if you'd just let me help you."

"And what could you do? McGonagall can't help Hermione, what makes you think you can do anything, you haven't even been here a year. You have hardly any more power than a student."

"What, so you don't believe I could save your friend a detention?"

"Not particularly, no," Harry challenged.

"Fine, let's make a bet shall we, I get Miss Granger out of detention, and you go out with me this weekend."

Harry looked up at Lereux, surprised.

"What would you expect on this outing," Harry asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, just go out to dinner with me. I promise I won't do anything," Lereux added, smiling.

"And whatever you plan is to save Hermione, she won't be hurt?"

"Not at all."

"Alright," Harry nodded after a moment's thought. "you have a deal."

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	26. Denials and Rejections

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! They make my heart get all giddy with joy! hehe

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"Harry, you don't have to walk with me, really I'll be fine," Hermione insisted.

"I'm coming with you," Harry answered steadily.

"Harry! You said you weren't going to do anything-"

"I won't, but there's someone else who will."

"Who? Did McGonagal-"

"No, Professor Lereux," Harry answered, noting that they were only a couple hallways away from the Defense room and hoping that Lereux would already be there.

"What?" Hermione exclaimed. "Why'd he do anything? What can he do?"

"He said your detentions would be stopped,"

"But how?"

"We'll just see now, won't we?" Harry asked, pulling Hermione down the last corner to see Lereux pacing before Umbridge's door.

Once Lereux spotted them, he walked towards Harry and Hermione genially.

"Good Evening Miss Granger. Now if you'll just attend your detention as usual, only for a couple minutes of course, I'll be in shortly and hopefully we can get this whole mess sorted out."

Hermione looked confusedly between Harry and Lereux.

"Sir?" Hermione questioned, still not really sure how or why Lereux would be able to help

"I have a plan, not to worry. Now go along, we don't want you to be late now do we?"

Hermione shared a look with Harry before sighing.

"Alright sir, thank you. You won't get in trouble for this will you?"

"No, of course not, what I'm planning is perfectly legal."

Hermione looked relieved and nodded before walking towards Umbridge's room.

Once the door closed, Lereux pulled out two small items from his pocket and enlarged them. A small box of what Harry assumed to be chocolates and a bouquet of flowers appeared.

"What, you look surprised?" Lereux remarked.

Harry nodded, for he was surprised, very surprised. "You're going to...distract her with gifts?"

"I'm going to ask her to dinner, get her to stop worrying over your little friend. I've seen the way she looks at me, she thinks I'm handsome, it shouldn't be such a hard thing to get her to agree."

"But...well surely you hate her just as much as everyone else does."

"Of course."

"Then why not obliviate her, or I don't know, something," Harry wondered.

"I could, but then again, I could get caught doing that, and I under no circumstances want to compromise my position here. And if that toad of a woman is on my side, I'll have more leeway to do what I want in the future," Lereux smiled and reached out to trace Harry's jaw line.

Harry wrenched his face away.

"Stop that....This plan of yours is beyond stupid," Harry added in a harsh whisper. "You're supposed to get her to leave Hermione alone, that's all. Use a potion to cause her forget, or cast Imperio to force her to forget, I don't care really, but just something that will work!"

"You want me to use dark magic, Harry?" Lereux asked teasingly.

"I want you to use something that will get Hermione out of _that room,"_ Harry emphasized, pointing his finger down the hallway.

"But my plan will," Lereux argued.

"I doubt it," Harry scoffed.

"Just because you, my dearest Harry, seem bent on rejecting me, doesn't mean others wouldn't jump at the chance for a date with me," Lereux concluded, before turning sharply.

Harry glared at Lereux's back as the professor walked to Umbridge's office, running forward a bit to watch off to the side. He almost positive that Lereux's plan wouldn't work.

Sure, Harry had noticed a lot of people seemed to find Lereux attractive, well spoken, and he obviously had a fair amount of money. Most teachers wouldn't be able to afford the kind of tailored robes that Lereux regularly wore.

But all those things didn't mean that Umbridge would automatically cancel Hermione's detention, especially just for a date with Lereux. It was ridiculous.

Getting fed up with Lereux's preposterous plan already, Harry was half ready to just burst into Umbridge's room and start yelling at her, taking the woman's attention off Hermione if necessary.

Just at that moment Lereux knocked on the door and opened it slowly, making sure to keep the flowers visible in his hands.

Umbridge looked up, her gaze automatically softened when she noticed it was Leruex.

"Oh hello there Demetri," Umbridge simpered.

"Good evening Dolores," Lereux began cheerily, then seeming to just notice Hermione, he let his smile falter. "Oh...I see you're busy, I can come back later-"

"Oh, no, I always appreciate a visit from you!" Umbridge exclaimed. "What brings you here at this time of night?" Umbridge continued, her eyes resting heavily on the flowers at Lereux's side.

"Well, I was hoping perhaps that you would honor me with your presence for a late dinner this evening?" Lereux asked in a sickeningly sweet tone. Leureux's manner sounded incredibly fake and sarcastic, at least to Harry, but Umbridge seemed oblivious.

Her eyes lit up as she smiled.

"This is quite unexpected, Demetri," Umbridge paused a moment. A moment which found Harry and Lereux both holding their breaths. "But not unwelcome in the least."

"So you would like to go out this evening?" Lereux clarified.

"Of course, that sounds like a marvelous idea," Umbridge purred as she stood.

Harry's jaw dropped in astonishment when he heard that Umbridge actually agreed.

"Let me just get my coat and we can be off." Umbridge turned with girlish enthusiasm to her office before spying Hermione sitting in the middle of the room, still looking completely confused.

"You, young lady, can return tomorrow evening to continue your detention!" Umbridge shouted, her voice suddenly changing to the screeching high pitched noise that Harry was accustomed to.

Harry inwardly cursed Lereux's plan, he knew it wasn't going to work If only the Astronomy professor would be actually useful for once and use conventional wizarding methods to take out an enemy!

Lereux didn't seem bothered though, he simply cleared his throat. "Ahem, Dolores, please forgive me if I am being overly optimistic, but I was hoping that if perhaps you enjoyed my company enough tonight, that Friday evening we could spend together as well..."

Umbridge looked frankly ecstatic at that thought but still seemed torn as what to do with Hermione.

"Go on Delores, go get your coat, I'll see to it that Miss Granger serves detention with another teacher. Though no other is as capable as you obviously are, I'm sure one can be found that will be able ensure that Miss Granger ceases in her delinquency."

Umbridge glared at Hermione, but one more glance at Lereux seemed to clear her mind and she nodded, smiling in that sickeningly sweet way before going to her private rooms.

The moment she was gone, the ridiculously false smile of Lereux's left his face as he gestured to Hermione to stand.

Hermione walked quickly to the door and left the room with Lereux.

Lereux gazed at Harry who was still standing in the hallway, dumbfounded, after hearing what had just taken place. The Astronomy professor shot a triumphant smirk, which Harry returned with a silent glower, though he was happy that Hermione had gotten out of detention.

"I'll meet you back in the common room in a sec Hermione, I just need to talk to Lereux for a moment."

Hermione raised a silent questioning eyebrow, but when no answer was forthcoming she simply nodded. "Fine, we'll talk later though," Hermione added.

Harry nodded, though he was reluctant for that particular conversation. Hermione turned and left.

When she turned down the hallway, Harry spun to confront Lereux.

"I can't believe that actually worked," Harry muttered.

"I'll just try to forget that you ever doubted me," Lereux returned. "You can make it up to me on Sunday."

"Yes, Sunday, I was thinking about that and I can't go to Hogsmead you. If you really must insist on a date, we can have one here if you want-"

"No, you promised to go _out_ to dinner with me, and you will," Lereux ordered.

"You don't get it, do you? I _can't_ go to Hogsmead. Have you forgotten Voldemort, he's after me. Besides, you don't even have a chaperone to go with us," Harry argued, thinking of any reason to get out of the date.

"First of all, you've never let Voldemort stop you from anything, you're just using him as an excuse. Besides, we'll be glamored and I will be able to protect you. And about this chaperone, it's not my responsibility to find one. I don't mind at all if someone from your pack comes along. Actually I look forward to you telling Fenrir that you need a chaperone for a date with me. Especially since you just promised him that you were going to remain faithful to him, which was really, a stupid decision in any case," Lereux finished spitefully.

Harry clenched his fists, torn between outright punching Lereux or perhaps shaking him and demanding why he had to be so annoying...and right. Fenrir would be upset, or perhaps...crushed would be a better word if he found out that Harry had agreed to go on a date with Lereux after Harry had specifically said he wanted to choose Fenrir as a mate.

Lereux cocked his head to the side, listening intently for a moment.

"You have to go. Umbridge is coming, I'll see you this Sunday. My rooms, after dinner," Lereux added, pushing Harry down the hallway.

Harry shrugged off Lereux's hand on his shoulder, throwing a glare at the professor, and ran the rest of the way down the corridor. He started heading towards Gryffindor tower, before changing his mind and direction. He needed to talk to someone.

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"I need your help," Harry began, after getting Remus and Sirius together on the living room couch and assuring them that nothing too catastrophic had occurred.

Harry paced back and forth across the beige carpet of the new apartment that Remus had rented in Hogsmead.

It wasn't much but it was nice and Sirius seemed to like it since it was bright and didn't hold as many bad memories for him.

Harry was happy with it as well. It was what made it possible for him to see his godfathers so easily, all he had to do was run down the underground tunnel, sneak into Honeydukes, and walk to the new apartment which was only a few streets down. It was all surprisingly easy to accomplish considering his invisibility options.

"With what?" Sirius asked concernedly.

Harry clenched his hands a little nervously. After all he had pretty much formulated his plan on the walk over to his godfather's apartment.

"Well, you know our new Astronomy teacher?"

Remus and Sirius nodded.

"It seems he's a...werewolf."

Remus cocked an eyebrow questioningly while Sirius simply smiled and slapped his knee.

"Well, I'll be damned, another one? Where's he from?" Sirius asked.

"He's not part of our pack, that's for sure, doesn't belong to any of the clans really. And he's just recently made his bid to be a future mate of mine."

"Fenrir let a foreign werewolf into the competition?" Remus asked incredulously.

Harry nodded.

"Not at first though, Fenrir almost killed Lereux, that's the professor's name, over it but I stepped in. Lereux is a pure blooded werewolf too and it would have been a hard fight for Fenrir to win. Not that he couldn't have done it, but it's not so important you know, considering that the whole dispute will be solved this July. But that's why I need your help. Lereux just asked me to dinner this Sunday, and I need a chaperone but I don't want to ask Fenrir because I don't want Lereux and Fenrir to get into a fight again,"

Harry explained in what he hoped was a convincing way.

Harry assured himself that his reasoning seemed plausible. In any case, even if his godparents doubted him, Harry was fairly certain that they would never guess the true reason why he didn't want to ask Fenrir for a chaperone.

After all, it'd be pretty difficult for them to happen upon the fact that Harry had chosen Fenrir as his future mate and had later promised to go on a date with Lereux to save Hermione from detention, thereby putting Harry in a rather complicated situation that made it imperative that Fenrir never know of said future date.

Just thinking about it all made Harry feel as if a headache were coming on.

"I'm very flattered that you'd ask us, Harry, but are you sure that Remus and I would be enough protection if something happened?" Siriues asked, thankfully not noticing Harry's conflicted inner thoughts. 'What about if Voldemort showed up or I don't know anything about this Lereux person, but what if he tried to kidnap you? Maybe you could ask one of your werewolf friends to come along as well, without involving Fenrir," Sirius suggested.

Remus shook his head. "That won't work, whatever the pack knows, Fenrir would find out."

"Yes, but I'm sure Harry has some loyal werewolf friends, friends he could trust with a secret," Sirius pointed out.

"Secrets, sure," Remus shrugged. "But none of Harry's friends would go behind Fenrir's back in this case. Not when Harry's safety is concerned at least. If any of them came along and Harry was harmed in some way, Fenrir would have their head."

"I don't want any of them coming, anyway," Harry broke in. 'You two will be enough," Harry stated confidently.

"What do you think, Remus?" Sirius asked.

"If Harry wants to go this weekend, I don't mind watching over Him. We'll need to disguise ourselves of course. We can be in the background, there's no reason for Lereux to know we're there at all. I don't think we'll have to worry about Harry's physical safety anyway."

Sirius looked surprised but didn't question Remus at the moment.

"Alright, Harry, I'll get an emergency portkey together for you then and alert the order that they may be needed that day," Sirius relented.

"Thanks," Harry sighed, happy that his plan had worked out so far.

"So where is this Lereux taking you?" Sirius continued.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, I just know he want he wanted to go to dinner somewhere in Hogsmead."

"We'll need a tracking charm on you then," Remus muttered.

Harry nodded. "Alright, no problem."

"And what does this Lereux look like?" Sirius continued.

"Tall, black hair, blue eyes, usually wears fancy robes," Harry added, trying not to sound critical.

"Anything else we should know?"

Harry shook his head.

"Oh, don't leave your poor godfathers out of the gossip," Sirius admonished. "You like him then, this Lereux, at least more than the others?" Sirius asked. "I mean, you're going through a lot of trouble just to go out with him, and you're going behind Fenrir's back as well."

"Is something wrong between you and Fenrir? Did he do something to you?" Remus followed.

"No, not at all," Harry disagreed ardently. "It's just, I wanted to go out this weekend with Lereux and it's no big deal, I don't want to bother Fenrir with it. Nothing is wrong," Harry lied.

"Alright Harry, no problem," Sirius relented, holding up his hands. "We were just curious, you're not one to usually go along with these alphas' date ideas, that's all. There's no other reason you're going out with Lereux than you fancy him a little?"

"The quidditch supply store is having a sale this weekend, maybe that's why Harry wants to go to Hogsmead," Remus noted jokingly.

Sirius laughed.

"No, I just want go out, that's all. Does there have to be a big reason behind everything?" Harry questioned, trying not to feel guilty for lying again. He wasn't really in a hurry to explain anything further. Harry didn't want his godparents to know he had basically used the date with Lereux for his own purposes, to get Hermione out of detention. Even though it was all for a good cause the whole situation still seemed dishonest. The less anyone knew about it the better, and after Sunday everything would be sorted out.

Sirius and Remus still looked skeptical but didn't say anything.

After finalizing their plans Harry left, running back to Gryffindor tower to probably tell a couple more lies to Hermione. Sighing inwardly Harry wondered how everything could get so complicated so quickly.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"So what do you know that I don't'?" Sirius questioned after Harry had left.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked, taking a sip of his newly made tea.

"You're not one to usually endorse trips out with random werewolves," Sirius clarified.

"Oh that, yes I suppose you're right. But Lereux isn't a random werewolf, he's Harry's astronomy teacher," Remus reminded.

"So he's a werewolf trying to live in the wizarding world, and you feel as if this gives you two a common understanding or something?"

"No, it just means that I know that Lereux is aware of certain things."

"Such as?" Sirius questioned.

"Well, just think about it. If Lereux kidnapped Harry he'd not only have us after him, but Voldemort as well. Add to that that Fenrir would be able to find them in a moment's notice and anything that he'd try would be a death sentence."

"Oh, I see....wait, explain the, 'Fenrir would be able to find them in a moment's notice' part."

"You didn't think that Fenrir entrusted us with Harry's care and with the wizards at the school just out of the goodness of his heart? No, the moment that Fenrir bit Harry and made him into a werewolf, a deep bond between the two was initiated, as it is with all sires and the werewolves they create."

"So you're saying that Fenrir can find Harry no matter where he is, at any moment because of the bond they have?"

"Basically yes, Fenrir can find any one of his unmated werewolf heirs. Once a werewolf pup is mated that bond overrides the Sire bond of course, but until then, yes Fenrir can find anyone of his heirs."

"Does that include you?" Sirius asked carefully, not wanting to upset Remus.

"It did at one time. Part of the reason that I take the Wolf's Bane potion is that it nullifies the entire werewolf nature, making such bonds irrelevant, at least for that month. So no, Fenrir can not find me any longer though those means at least."

Sirius nodded understandingly as Remus went on.

"In my opinion, the greater danger is Voldemort. But that case is as it has always been. We will take the proper precautions."

.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"Harry! Where have you been?" Hermione asked the moment that Harry re-entered Gryffindor common room.

"Just talking to Lereux," Harry answered, trying to sound nonchalant about it. Harry took a seat in front of the fire tiredly. Hermione followed close behind.

"About what? Really, what happened. How did you get him to do that for me? How did you even know that would work. Why would he go out with Umbridge of all people!"

Hermione asked loudly as the common room was deserted, everyone already having went up to sleep.

"I honestly don't know how Lereux knew that plan would work. It seemed a bit random to me, but that was what he chose to do. He said that that plan had the least chance of being found out since he's not doing anything illegal in this case. Oh and he said that this plan of his had the added bonus of getting Umbridge to trust him more or something."

"But why? Why would he do anything that in the first place? He doesn't actually like her, does he?" Hermione questioned.

"No, he doesn't like her. He did it because...he wanted my autograph," Harry finished lamely.

"What?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"Yea, he just wanted my autograph. Pretty simple really. He asked me for it during my last detention with him and I said no. And then I found out that you had another detention with Umbridge. So I went to him and said I would give the autograph to him if he got you out of detention."

"Oh," Hermione answered, looking confused and a bit disappointed. "That's it? I didn't really know that Lereux was like that."

Harry nodded and inwardly hoped that the excuse he had thought up on his walk back to Gryffindor tower to explain Lereux's part in Hermione's rescue might turn into a full blown rumor. It'd serve the arrogant teacher right to be associated with the likes of Lockhart anyway.

"I stayed up to also give you these," Hermione held out the transfigured Occlumency books that Harry had dropped the night before.

"Oh, thanks," Harry replied taking the books. He felt a sense of alarm thinking that that Saturday he'd have to have an Occlumency lesson with Snape.

Suddenly feeling very tired, Harry bid Hermione goodnight and left for his dorm room to wait until it safe to venture out once more.

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Harry ran to Fenrir, jumping at the end of his stride to launch himself at his intended future mate. Fenrir, chuckling deeply, easily caught him and apparated with Harry, back to their own territory. They stood in one of the numerous outcrops of the central clearing. Harry could hear the muted sounds of the rest of his pack moving around near by and noted that though he and Fenrir weren't exactly in private or alone, no one could see them in any case, and no one would be able to hear them if they spoke lowly.

"Well, I'm happy to see you too. Stressful day?" Fenrir asked, keeping his grip on Harry firm.

Harry nodded. "You could say that. We should practice fighting again tonight, that always makes me feel better."

"I don't see how losing makes you feel better," Fenrir returned teasingly.

Harry scoffed, pretending to be offended,. "I'm still getting better, besides I've been practicing with that sling shot that Charles gave me."

"And you think a sling shot is going to give you the advantage against me?" Fenrir asked challengingly, pulling Harry tighter against him.

"Maybe," Harry answered uncertainly, looking down, just realizing how close he was to Fenrir. Still held securely in the alpha's arms, with his legs hooked around Fenrir's waist. Harry liked the position personally, but he didn't think it would bode well if someone else saw them that way. Seeming to notice as well, Fenrir let Harry down gently.

"My dearest Harry, if you're ever going to defeat me, or anyone, in hand to hand combat it will be with this," Fenrir continued, reaching under Harry's loose cloak sleeve to grasp at the dagger that was always secured there. "Not a toy that some foolish scout gave you."

Harry swallowed heavily, Fenrir's fingers on his bare wrist felt like burning embers upon his skin.

"So...I guess that means that you will practice fighting with me tonight?" Harry asked, happy that his voice didn't shake while asking.

Fenrir smiled slightly, though not many would have been able to detect the slight crinkling around the eyes and small twitch of lip as a smile. "If you wish, pup. Though sparring with you has become more a test of my restraint than a test of strength."

Harry laughed, stepping back to punch playfully at Fenrir's shoulder.

"Well hopefully one day soon I'll progress enough that any momentary distraction on your part will result in dire consequences..." Harry added dramatically.

"Dire consequences meaning...you not losing?"

"Exactly! See, even just talking about my eminent triumph is putting me in a better mood."

"Well, I'm glad. You'll need it in any case."

"Oh? What happened?" Harry asked.

"Nothing too out of the ordinary. The scouts are becoming increasingly impertinent . Just expect them to be more assertive than usual. I'll try to hold them off as much as I can-"

"No, no need, I'll talk to them today, it's my worry, not yours. Besides, I'm sure none of them will be as bad as Lereux was."

"So you've told him about your choice already?" Fenrir, sounding satisfied.

"Yes, he didn't believe me at first and tried to talk me out of my decision. And then he sent me this ridiculous gift."

"What was it?"

"A quill, an apparently really expensive quill."

"A quill? Really...why? Do you have deep interest in writing that I don't know about?"

Harry laughed. "No, the quill is supposed to really help you write papers and things. He just sent it to me because he hoped that'd I spend my extra time with him. I gave the quill to Ron, who I'm sure will greatly appreciate it."

Fenrir smirked, "I'm sure Lereux liked that."

Harry shrugged. "I couldn't care less what Lereux likes or not. He's just being annoying lately."

"If he keeps bothering you, I could talk to him if you wish..." Fenrir offered, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"No, no, that's fine," Harry reassured. "It's not a problem. I can handle it," Harry added, feeling foolish. He shouldn't have brought up Lereux at all. It was just, he was so used to Fenrir knowing all of his problems that he wasn't used to censoring his words.

"So, I guess I'll go talk to the alphas, and then we can spar?" Harry asked, hoping to change the subject.

Fenrir nodded. "Make sure to get Catherine to accompany you."

"Will do," Harry answered, walking back to the main clearing while trying to sort out his thoughts.

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"Thanks for gathering here on such short notice," Harry started, he couldn't help from pacing before the group of alphas in front of him.

"No problem, Harry," Charles piped up, the youngest and perhaps most kind of all the alphas that had proposed him, Harry noted. Harry regretted having to turn Charles down most of all. Not because he felt any romantic feelings for Charles, it was only that he didn't want to hurt Charles, they had become good friends over the past several months.

"Well the thing is, I need to tell you that..." Harry took a deep breath, he would have thought that after doing this once today it would get easier. "I have decided, already chosen, the Werewolf that I would like to eventually bond with." There, it was out. Harry opened his eyes, he didn't realize that he had closed them, to see all of the werewolves sitting on the edge of their log seats.

"So, who is it?" Aaron asked.

"Isn't it obviously me?" Render asked smugly, standing up from his seated position.

"No, it's no one here," Harry quickly pointed out. "It's...Fenrir."

"What!" Render snapped.

"Yes, he's my choice," Harry repeated. Render was probably as annoying as Lereux, Harry mentally decided.

"Why would you choose him? I got you the best gifts, took you to the best places, brought you the best food!" Render exclaimed, glaring at Harry.

"You can have your gifts back if that's what you're upset about, and I didn't ask for the other two things, you just did them. Furthermore, If you're wondering why I didn't pick you, it's because of this Render- your temper. At any given moment you're ready to pick a fight with anyone who doesn't agree with you. You're immature and-"

"How dare you talk to me that way," Render hissed, advancing swiftly upon Harry.

Catherine came up beside Harry and firmly pushed Render backwards a couple of steps.

"Sit down, Render and keep your distance," Catherine ordered.

"Oh, now you come to interfere? Where were you last night when Harry was alone with Fenrir, hmm? You're always so quick to make sure you're around whenever Harry has an outing with one of us, but when Fenrir wants to take him somewhere you barely notice! Fenrir is alone with Harry all the time, picking him up from Hogwarts-"

"Fenrir is Harry's guardian as well, and as such is afforded certain rights-" Catherine protested.

"Certain rights? What about our rights!" Render shouted.

"If you still believe you are the best mate for Harry, go ahead and continue trying to win his approval. Though your current behavior isn't helping much in his esteem of you, I'm sure."

"Oh, I'm not talking about those rights. We should be able to be alone with Harry as well, as Fenrir is. We should be able to interact with him in our werewolf forms too, as Fenrir did last night. Those are the kinds of rights we should have."

"That seems fair, since Harry has already done all those things with Fenrir," Stephan piped up.

"Fenrir is Harry's guardian. It was in that respect that Fenrir was alone with Harry, nothing more," Catherine reiterated.

"Seems like it must have been something more, else Harry wouldn't have chosen Fenrir already," Render continued accusingly.

"Being alone with Fenrir or in my wolf form with him has nothing to do with it," Harry shouted, brushing past Catherine to stand before Render himself, challengingly.

"I'll never consent to spending more time with you than I absolutely have to, Render. This episode more than anything else has convinced me that you are definitely not the right person for me. And if you keep pressuring me or keep making things difficult for Fenrir and the pack by making a menace of yourself, I'll discipline you myself," Harry threatened.

Render didn't look intimated and simply rolled his eyes, though he did take a step back.

"What about us, Harry? Did Aaron and I do something to offend you?" Charles asked, it was obvious he was unhappy and put out.

"No, neither of you bothered me in the slightest. I genuinely enjoy your company, it's just that I've realized I don't have romantic feelings for you. I don't want you to waste any more time and effort this year when my choice is already made. I hope you can understand," Harry sighed. His chest ached, even though he knew he was doing the right thing, he didn't like hurting Charles' feelings.

Charles nodded. "If that's what you want, Harry then...I remove myself from the competition."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Charles."

"I don't doubt your conviction Harry, if you have chosen Fenrir already, there is little point in sticking around. I was planning on leaving later this year in any case," Aaron admitted.

"Leaving, where are you going?" Harry asked.

"South America, I've been there once before and always wanted to return."

"Are you planning on returning?" Harry queried, feeling odd. He knew that sometimes alphas left the pack when mates or food became scarce but Harry had never really thought that would happen to his own pack, not now at least.

"One day, possibly," Aaron replied. "Perhaps this is for the best and you have only realized it sooner than I. You would not have been happy running after adventure, while I could never have been content remaining here."

"Yes, I guess not. Adventure finds me enough as it is," Harry noted jokingly.

"That it does," Aaron agreed, smilingly. "Either way, it was an honor to know you, Harry. I'll go inform Fenrir of my decision."

After Aaron left Harry continued standing, surveying the remaining alphas and wondering what they would do next. Stephan, and Charles still loitered around the clearing looking lost, though Render still looked quite angry.

"This solves nothing you know. Just because Charles and Aaron have no sense of pride, doesn't mean Stephan and I will just let this go," Render announced.

"You say I have no sense of pride? What would you have me do, Render?" Charles growled. "Even if Fenrir's conduct seems unfair to us, it's not like challenging it will make Harry reconsider us. He has already made his decision," Charles explained.

"Can't you see Harry is being manipulated, Charles? I'd think you'd want to protect him, not just give up-"

"I'm not giving up!" Charles shouted, obviously getting angry. "Can't you get it through your thick head, there's nothing to give up on as he _doesn't _want us!"

"He_ thinks_ he doesn't want us because Fenrir has been tainting his thoughts all along, making it seem as if he were the best!"

"Alright, Render, say you're right and Fenrir has been involved in a nefarious plot to brainwash Harry into wanting him most all along, there's still nothing you can do about it. You can't defeat Fenrir, you can't make Harry want you, so there's still no point in arguing about this, nothing can be done!" Charles shouted.

"I can't believe that, there has to be something," Render spat, and left the clearing abruptly in a rage.

Harry watched him leave, feeling a sense of dread, before turning back to the two remaining alphas.

"And your choice, Stephan?" Harry asked.

"If you wouldn't mind, it's not like I doubt you or anything, but I would like to remain in the competition for your favor. Just to see it through, things...might change?" Stephan asked hopefully.

"I doubt it, but if you wish to continue courting me, I can not stop you," Harry relented.

Stephan nodded understandingly and left the clearing quietly, leaving Charles.

"I'd watch out for Render if I were you, Harry. He's not vindictive, but sometimes he can be exceedingly reckless and cause problems."

"Thanks for the warning. And you, you have already taken yourself out of the competition, what are your next plans?" Harry asked concernedly. "You're not leaving too, are you?"

"Oh no," Charles shook his head. "I like it here. Though I might leave for a little while to find a human mate to change and bring them back here, I can't imagine leaving this place for a long period of time."

"I know what you mean," Harry answered, looking around at the trees that surrounded them. Sometimes when the wind blew, Harry almost felt the leaves were whispering words of encouragement or comfort. He would never willingly leave this forest, it had become his home, Harry realized.

"I know you do, Harry. When you came here I had hopes of us being together, but even if I have lost the chance of being your partner, I am happy at having gained the chance to have you as a friend."

"Oh you don't need a chance, Charles, you already are my friend," Harry answered confidently.

"Good to know," Charles smiled.

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"You know, I think you handled that very well," Catherine admitted after Charles had left.

"Well? You call Render flipping out and basically questioning my mental stability, 'a well handled situation?'" Harry asked.

Catherine shrugged. "I'm pretty sure that would have happened no matter what you said, but you kept your cool in the situation while remaining firm. You could have done no better. This whole situation will work out in time," Catherine reassured.

Harry sighed, "I can only hope you're right, Catherine."

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Thanks for reading, any feedback is welcome!


	27. Birth of Betrayal

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

...

If you stare hard enough at a book, the inside pages, not the outside cover, you can almost see the individual particles of the ink, Harry realized.

"Harry!" Ron shouted.

Harry's head bobbed up, clearly startled.

"Oh-? Yes Ron?" Harry asked, realizing that his friend had been calling him for a while.

"Did you want to go practice some quidditch?" Ron asked exasperatedly.

Harry shook his head. "No, you go on ahead. I need to study some more."

"But it's Saturday!" Ron protested.

"Harry, what's wrong? You've been studying Transfiguration relentlessly for the past few days," Hermione remarked.

Harry looked down at his Occlumency books which were still glamored to look like Transfiguration texts. Yet another lie, Harry sighed. There were so many lately. Perhaps he should let his friends in on this one? There were so many other things his friends didn't know, it might do some good to tell his friends about this one secret, Harry decided.

Even if Harry wasn't exactly keen on his friends finding out about the possibility that Voldemort might be able to invade his thoughts, there wasn't exactly any solid reason why he couldn't tell him.

Harry took a deep breath, and looked around the inner courtyard they were sitting in to make sure no one was around to overhear.

"These aren't Transfiguration texts. Harry lifted the glamour and showed the books to Ron and Hermione.

"Occlumency?" Ron asked. "What's that?"

"It's a type of magic to protect your thoughts. I'm taking this extra class with Snape tonight. I need to learn it because they think that Voldemort may be able to read my thoughts since we share the same blood now and I'll have to stop it by using Occlumency," Harry explained.

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "Oh, Harry is this what has had you so worried lately?"

Harry just nodded though, in all actuality, Occlumency was only one part of an ever growing list of things that had Harry worried.

Hermione gave Harry an understanding look and hugged him briefly.

"Well, we'll be here for you Harry no matter what," Hermione comforted.

Ron nodded, agreeing.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that," Harry sighed, returning the embrace.

...

The rest of the day Harry spent in the company of his two friends. Hermione helped him go through some of Occlumency books once more.

Even though Hermione was unfamiliar with the subject, she was very good at helping Harry do an overview and pick out important sections to review.

Ron provided good break distractions, by keeping the atmosphere light. Both helped Harry get through the day.

However, the help didn't make the day pass any slower and soon enough it was time for Harry to meet with Snape.

After assuring his two friends that he could make the trek to the potions room on his own, Harry left, still carrying his Occlumency books.

Harry found the Potion's room door open unexpectedly and after taking a deep breath, soldiered his way through.

When he entered the class room, Harry was not surprised to see Snape sitting at the back of the room, grading papers. The dour teachers didn't even look up.

Harry cleared his throat, holding his books as he stood awkwardly in the middle of the class room.

"Don't just stand there, grab a stool and sit," Snape ordered, still not looking up.

Harry did as he was told, trying not to make too much noise as he dragged one of the stools across the room and towards Snape's desk.

Snape continued scratching away as he graded papers. Harry sat and cleared his throat, and decided to begin with the sentence he had practiced over and over again in his head since Snape obviously didn't feel like talking.

"Before we start, I was hoping we could-" Snape looked up and Harry's mind fumbled all the words he had thought he had memorized.

"Yes?" Snape asked a bit impatiently.

Giving up trying to say anything coherent, Harry just thrust forward the little book he was clasping like a lifeline. With a jerk, Harry was able to let go.

Snape stared at the small book that was just placed on his desk, his eyebrow raised.

"Page 32, starting in paragraph three goes over a certain oath that will keep the memories that will be seen during these sessions between us. I read over it several times, it seems like something we could do. After all, we both have memories...memories that I doubt either of us wants anyone else knowing," Harry added quickly

Snape nodded his head, only once, in agreement and reached out to look at the noted section himself.

"I know of this oath. I had only not planned to speak of it myself because I had thought that you would be reticent to enter into such an agreement with me."

"Not at all sir, if you would take the oath with me, I'd be very...relieved, to be honest," Harry returned.

A moment passed in which Snape seemed to be thinking the oath over once more. But finally he answered, "Alright then, let's begin."

...

"Well, Severus, how did it go?" Dumbledore asked tiredly. He did not expect good results but there was little else that could be done. Dumbledore was busy enough trying to keep the ministry out of Hogwarts as much as possible. It was not going well to say the least.

Dumbledore looked up, he had thought that Severus would have started his customary derogatory remarks towards Potter already. But instead the potion's professor looked simply pensive.

"He did show up, didn't he?" Dumbledore asked.

Snape nodded. "Yes, of course. It's just, I'm not sure what to say."

"Start with specifics then, what is the boy's skill level?"

"A beginner of course. Potter knows the theory inside and out though, surprising as he's only had the books for several days. It seems he's taking the threat seriously at least."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. Is that what has you so surprised, that Harry read the books you requested?"

"Book, I requested that he read only one. Potter found others of his own choosing, and read them just as thoroughly. That in itself was unexpected, but not entirely what gave me pause."

Dumbledore nodded, but kept silent, allowing Snape to think.

"It's just...well first of all, he's keeping a secret. Potter asked to do Teacher-Student privacy oath, which I consented to of course. That clearly shows he's keeping something from us."

Dumbledore chuckled, "Severus, don't we all keep secrets? There are many things that I'm sure a teenage boy would not like a professor knowing and speaking to others about."

Snape nodded, thinking over Dumbledore's advice before shaking his head.

"But it's not just that though...his mind," Snape stood and started pacing as he worked through his thoughts.

"I've never yet encountered a mind like his. As I said, he's a beginner, there's no finesse or technique, but still, it was surprisingly difficult to force my way into his thoughts. And once I did...the amount of memories that gushed forth! It was overwhelming, so many sights and colors, but they were all inconsequential. Memories of grass or the sky, things anyone would have, which is why I can even speak about it to you now. Potter was clearly directing the memory flow, it was sloppily done and untrained, but successful nevertheless...powerful.

"Many people have powerful minds, Severus," Dumbledore reminded.

"Of course...But was odd, I can't describe it. The feeling of his mind, I would say is unique. So very composed and peaceful, yet you can tell it's only a thin veneer before the abyss, the calm before the storm. Do you understand?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not in the least. The mind is a curious thing and sometimes the emotions experienced during such lessons can not be explained to anyone else. However, that is to be expected, all I need to know at the moment is if you think Harry will be able fend off Voldemort's mental attacks."

"From afar? Of course, even at this stage, and being a beginner such as he is, Potter would be able keep Voldemort from his mind as long as he remains calm and practices before sleeping each evening. However, given a one on one assault, his mind would be ripped to shreds," Snape informed dryly.

"As would most minds. Seeing as we will hopefully not be faced with a one on one attack, there is little to be done regarding that for now except continued practice. I am pleased though to hear that Harry will be safe from long distance assaults."

"So you wish the lessons to continue then?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I would indeed appreciate it, if you would continue teaching him, considering his apparent aptitude in the subject, more learning could not hurt. I had not expected him to do so well, honestly. However, Harry has always been one to surprise us. It makes me wonder if I acted correctly. Perhaps I should have waited, followed the prophecy?" Dumbledore wondered aloud.

"Of course not," Snape disagreed readily. "True, the boy's mind is little more unique than most I've seen, but that means nothing. You were right to destroy the horcruxes you had found when you had the chance. I only wish you'd let me act, now that the Dark Lord is, in essence, mortal. Our time is running short, there are stirrings amongst the members that he has formulated a plan already. The Dark Lord has been seen studying dark rituals, I could kill him now," Snape reasoned.

Dumbledore sighed. "The plan you are suggesting, Severus, it would not succeed. It would be a suicide mission. Even though it is true that Voldemort is, as you say, mortal, that does not mean that he is vulnerable to just any attack. Your presence is more useful as a spy at the moment. We will continue as we are, and when the time is right, we will strike."

Snape sighed but nodded. "Then in the mean time, I will do as you ask and teach Potter about the art of Occlumency. At least it seems he will be a more competent student than I had previously expected."

"You're here!" Karl exclaimed as Harry appeared in the central clearing with Fenrir and Catherine by his side.

Merri and John were standing beside Karl as well, smiling. Fenrir and Catherine walked off into the closing trees suddenly without a word. Looking towards them curiously, Harry frowned, usually Fenrir at least said good bye.

"Will you be here for good?" John wondered aloud, sounding hopeful, successfully distracting Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You know for friends of mine, I've never seen you guys so excited about my possible failure."

"Not true at all," John protested.

"It's only when your possible failure might mean the whole wizarding world finding about your recent creature status, do we find said failure the least bit appealing," Karl explained.

"And that's only because if they did find out, you would live here with us, forever!" John added gleefully.

"Well I'm glad that at least you two always know how to look in the bright side," Harry noted wryly.

"Well, we do out best, we wake up every morning with the ideal, nay the duty to make the world a brighter pla-"

"Would you two hush and let Harry talk!" Merri reprimanded, cutting off Karl before the overzealous young werewolf got too far ahead of himself.

Harry smiled, he had missed his pack.

"Well?" John prompted.

Harry kept silent for a tense moment longer before launching himself at his three friends while shouting joyfully, "I did it!"

Merri, John, and Karl, though wanting Harry to stay with them the entire day, understood if not agreed with Harry's need to retain contact with his wizarding friends and therefore were just at joyful at the success.

The four screaming and jumping werewolves in the middle of the pack caused the rest of the members to turn to the noise only to shake their heads at their antics. Young werewolves were so very rambunctious after all.

Once they had finally calmed down, Merri asked, "So how'd you do it, what happened? We need details!"

"Alright, alright," Harry began breathlessly, as the four sank to the ground to sit in a circle.

"Well first of all I did an oath with the professor, so even if he does eventually find something out, he can't tell anyone," Harry grinned.

"But that wasn't even necessary this time, was it?" Merri asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, it was really weird, the feeling, I mean. It was like...if you mind was a book, someone suddenly opened it and rifled through the pages," Harry explained.

"Were you afraid?" John asked with baited breath.

"At first, very afraid. Part of me thought I would be found out from the first moment the spell started. After Snape broke through my initial defenses, I started imagining calming scenes, since that was what one of the books suggested once someone had already broken into your memories. We continued on like that for the rest of the lesson. Sometimes he broke out of my memory streams and saw other random things from my life that I'd rather he not, but I was able to keep this from him," Harry smiled, opening his arms to refer to the life going on around him. I did better at the initial blocking each time, and he gave me some pointers on making my forced memory streams flow more naturally. And that was it," Harry concluded happily. "I have my next lesson this following Saturday."

John and Karl clapped Harry on the back. "Well done," they chorused, while Merri nodded proudly.

"So that's how my day went, what about yours?" Harry asked curiously, expecting the usual gossip about the pack.

Surprisingly though, Merri, John, and Karl looked apprehensively at one another.

"What happened?" Harry asked, now worried.

Shaking her head, Merri said, "It's Render, he's disappeared."

"Oh, wait, really? That's good news though isn't it?," Harry asked.

"Not really, he shouldn't have left," John admitted.

"Why not? I thought pack members could leave anytime they wanted."

"A pack member can ask the Alpha to leave any time they want. Like Aaron did. Fenrir usually consents because he is a reasonable Alpha. You can't just leave though, that's a sign of disrespect," Merri explained.

"A sign of defiance," Karl spat.

"Fenrir sent out a group of scouts to hunt down Render, he and Catherine returned to watch for the scouts return," John continued.

"No, why should they seek out Render. Let him go, he's been nothing but a nuisance to us," Harry sighed.

"If Fenrir doesn't bring Render back and properly chastise him, it's going to be interpreted as a sign of weakness from Fenrir. The rest of the pack will think they can just leave whenever they want to," Merri explained.

Harry groaned and laid down on the grass beside his friends. "I guess I hope he's found then."

"Oh, don't worry, he will be," Karl muttered.

Considering who was hunting, Harry didn't doubt his friend for a second.

...

Sunday dawned brightly, there was a cold wind that whistled through the castle and heralded the winter that was soon to come.

It should be winter already, Harry thought grumpily. He wanted winter to come quickly and then spring, and finally summer. Summer, the season of his birthday would bring a resolution to many of his problems.

Out of all the obstacles and issues that Harry thought he would have trying to fit in the wizarding world as a werewolf, none were so difficult, or perhaps frustrating was a better word, than having to deal with the exasperating competition of the alphas.

Harry could take having to pretend to eat elf made, magic infused food. He could even allow hexes to hit him in and outside of class, though that was annoying because most of those could be easily deflected by his skin.

But the one thing, Harry could not take was Lereux looking across the room at him smugly over his breakfast.

Harry placed his fork down on the table a bit too forcefully on accident, causing the rest of the table to rattle ominously.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Hermione asked concernedly, as the rest of his classmates looked worriedly down at the table at him as well.

Harry could see Lereux trying to hold in a laugh out of the corner of his eye. Letting out a carefully controlled breath and picturing calm blue skies, Harry forced the golden tint he knew was probably forming from his eyes before turning to Hermione.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Aren't you going to eat anymore Harry?" Ron asked gesturing towards the bacon that lay in the center of the table.

Harry eyed the food, he was a bit hungry, and the meat itself smelled good, though it was a little too burnt for his tastes. From experience though, Harry knew the meat was cooked with a magical fire and it gave the bacon a nasty aftertaste. Just the thought of it made his stomach roll. Harry wanted this day over with.

Shaking his head, Harry pushed his plate away.

"You're worried again about your lesson with Snape?"

Harry just nodded. He had given the excuse that he'd be studying Occlumency with Snape again that evening. In reality he had to follow through with his end of the deal and spend his evening with Lereux.

Harry never thought the day would come when he would rather spend time with Snape than someone else.

Hermione squeezed Harry shoulder comfortingly, which he was grateful for, but was nevertheless relieved when the subject was dropped soon after. Everyone was talking about the upcoming Halloween dance that was being proposed by the Head Girl. Harry personally didn't think Umbridge would allow it, but it seemed the others weren't' going to let that probable outcome get their spirits down.

After breakfast, Harry spent the rest of the day with Ron and Hermione, playing quidditch and exploding snap.

After dinner, though Harry would much rather have continued the calm day of games with his two friends, he had to leave his common room, mumbling apologies to his friends.

Hermione and Ron of course nodded in agreement since the two believed he was simply going to continue his lessons with Snape again. Instead of heading towards the dungeons though, Harry had to head to one of the opposite towers. Lereux had wrote the directions on the back of one of Harry's returned pieces of homework. That was a bit presumptuous of Lereux, Harry remembered thinking as he glanced down at the directions again.

What gave Lereux the right to write anything other than academic advice on his homework?

Harry sighed, there was little that could be done about it now. Standing before Lereux's door, Harry crushed the paper within his fist and knocked.

The door was promptly opened to reveal a grinning Lereux.

"Come in, come in," Lereux ushered, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder and guiding him into the room.

Harry stepped forward into the room, subtly rolling his shoulders out from underneath Lereux's grasp.

Shutting the door behind him, Lereux walked confidently past Harry and through a large archway that led to the main room.

"Well, come on then," Lereux added, when Harry didn't automatically follow.

Harry tentatively walked forward, trying to look at everything at once. Though the rooms themselves were plain, decorated with simple light tones, there seemed to be knickknacks and other ornaments adorning every available piece of furniture and every space of wall.

The sitting room didn't seem quite so busy, with only two antique though pristine looking couches facing one another, separated by a dark wood coffee table.

On the table was a large white box. Lereux walked towards it, and picked it up excitedly.

"I got something for you," Lereux announced, turning to Harry.

Harry shook his head. "I don't want or need anymore of your gifts."

"Yes, I noticed," Lereux commented wryly. "I saw what you did with that quill I bought you, but this you see, has a purpose. It's for our date tonight. " Lereux explained, stretching the box out to Harry.

Harry looked curiously at Lereux. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Open it and find out," Lereux countered. "Honestly, it's nothing much. Just to help with your disguise."

Harry studied the box a second longer before taking a hold of it cautiously. Sitting on one of the couches, Harry placed the box on his lap. After tearing open several layers of tissue paper, Harry was finally was able to see some type of deep purple cloth. Harry lifted it out of the box carefully.

"That's the cloak, the rest of the outfit is in there as well, along with a pair of shoes to go along with it."

Harry pulled out the rest of the clothing, getting more daunted at the attire by the minute. This wasn't just a new outfit, it was an entire set of formal robes, nice formal robes, robes that probably cost more than some people made in year, kind of robes.

"You said we were just going to Hogsmead," Harry muttered accusingly.

"We are," Lereux was quick to answer. "But we're going to a reputable establishment, and clothes like these are necessary," Lereux explained, gesturing to the clothes laid out on the couch and Harry's lap.

"There's no place in Hogsmead that would need anyone to wear things like this," Harry disagreed.

"There may be no place in Hogsmead that _you_ know of that would require such attire. However, trust me when I tell you that there is more to that little town than butterbeers and Wonko's toy and gadgets," Lereux corrected a bit condescendingly.

"Alright, I admit that I haven't been everywhere there, and there maybe be some upper-class restaurant that I don't know about, but this is just ridiculous," Harry huffed, pulling out some frilly...thing he had never seen the likes of before.

"This is how wizards dress, for formal occasions at least," Lereux explained defensively.

"None of the wizards I have seen dress like this, I didn't even have to wear anything like this for the Yule Ball."

"You're comparing this to your juvenile dance? Besides, forgive me Harry, but you haven't really been exposed to things that real wizards do."

"Oh, and like you have?" Harry countered. "You're just as much of a werewolf as I am."

"After my father was killed, I was raised as a pureblood wizard. I've done a damn good job of fitting in with the wizards, so you'd do well to trust my authority on this subject," Lereux ordered sternly.

Harry crossed his arms, glaring at the pile of clothes around him.

"Look Harry, I'm sorry for hurting your feelings-"

"You didn't hurt my feelings," Harry spat.

"But," Lereux continued, "You did agree to this, and I don't see why this gift would be such an imposition for you-"

"It's not the clothes, it's not the gifts, it's not the place you chose. Isn't it obvious I don't want to go anywhere, not tonight and not with you," Harry hissed.

"But," Lereux stammered.

"But, yes I know. I agreed to go, as was part of our bargain," Harry sighed picking up the pile of clothes. "Where's the bathroom?"

Lereux pointed to a door off to the right. "I'll make your glamour for you after you're done."

Harry nodded and walked forward, trying not to drop any of the items of clothing.

Once he was alone, Harry sighed, leaning against the door. He shouldn't have yelled at Lereux like that, but sometimes it was difficult to control his anger, especially with people that were so obtuse. Harry didn't want to upset the older werewolf though, just get through the evening. Maybe he could get Lereux to see that anything between them was impossible and hopefully he'd never have to go anywhere with him again.

After a couple of minutes he got his temper under control, and Harry was able to concentrate on the set of clothes in front of him.

He was able to distinguish the pants, those were the long purple legging things; and the shirt, well that must be the long white flowing garment. Harry quickly put those two items on.

Staring at the rest of the items in the box, Harry knelt down to try to figure out where they were each supposed to go.

However, after several frustrated minutes, Harry had made very little headway and just decided to ask Lereux since Harry very much doubted he'd be about to put them in the right order himself.

Luckily, Lereux didn't make any patronizing comments when Harry emerged from the bathroom to ask for help.

"Yes, no problem," Lereux agreed, taking the box from Harry. "They can be quite daunting the first time you fit them all together."

"This is the vest," Lereux explained, handing the item to Harry. It was followed by a long sash like belt, an over coat with gold buttons, ruffled collar, cuffs, and many other tiny items that Harry lost count of.

"And you're done," Lereux finished, taking Harry by the arm to show him his reflection.

It was all very...extravagant, Harry decided.

"You look surprised," Lereux noted, smiling.

Harry shrugged. "It just looks different. And I'm surprised, the cloth doesn't make me itch, that's all."

"Oh, and your school clothing does? Make your skin itch I mean?" Lereux shrugged. "Maybe because of the material. It's high quality and hand made, no magic used."

Harry nodded, surprised that wizards would bother making clothes by hand.

"Oh, and here's your shoes. I suggest using a spell to lace them up as it can take a little while if you do it by hand."

Harry's eyes grew wide as he stared at the shoes. "They have heels."

Lereux looked confused. "Yes, just a little one though, you won't have a problem walking on them."

"No, I mean you want me to wear high heels?"

"They're not that high-"

"That's just what they're called," Harry explained exasperatedly. "Usually only girls wear them though," Harry explained.

"In the muggle world you mean? Oh, hmm, yes but they're all the rage this season, for men and women."

Harry sighed. "Fine, give me the shoes."

"Alright, here you are," Lereux replied, handing the shoes over. "I'll go get changed myself, and then we can do the glamour."

Harry nodded, staring at the shoes. They were of the same matching purple color with gold trim. The laces went to just below his knees to cover the bottom part of the leggings. Biting his lip, Harry decided to start on the left shoe first.

Lereux came out by the time Harry had finished lacing both shoes. Harry was relieved to see that Lereux was dressed similarly, and even had the same type of shoes on, though Lereux looked a lot more comfortable and natural in the ensemble than Harry ever could.

Harry got up, the floor seemed a little farther away than usual, at least the heels made him a little taller, Harry mused.

"You look fantastic," Lereux gushed. "See, it wasn't that bad now was it? It's a shame though I have to change your features, I'd enjoy keeping you as you are, but alas," Lereux sighed. "I guess it must be done."

Harry stepped forward a bit nervously. He had gotten good at making replicas of himself, along with glamouring the air around him to make himself seem invisible. He hadn't worked on changing his features around though, so Harry was a bit relieved that Lereux didn't mind doing it.

Harry stayed still as Lereux moved his hands around his face and magic flowed across his skin.

When Lereux was done, he turned Harry to look at the mirror again.

His jaw was a bit more defined, and Lereux had made his nose a little bigger. Harry looked different, but not exceedingly so. It helped that he had his useless glasses off though, that made a large difference in itself. He could still easily be mistaken for an older brother of Harry Potter's though. If Harry had any older brothers, anyway.

"Shouldn't you change more?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Well I don't want to be eating dinner with a total stranger you know. But I guess we should change your eye color. What color do you want?"

Harry almost said hazel before he stopped himself. "I don't know, brown or maybe blue?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I know," Lereux exclaimed, quickly moving his hands over Harry's eyes.

"Do you like them?" Lereux asked.

Harry opened his eyes. "But, they're a purple," Harry exclaimed. "Is purple your favorite color or something?"

"No, just thought it'd look good with your outfit, they compliment each other well."

"But the color isn't natural, not for a human anyway."

"So? Wizards have ways to change eye color, no one will notice anything out of the ordinary."

Harry shrugged. "Alright, it's only for one evening, I don't care."

Lereux smiled, "Good, let's be off then," Lereux concluded, walking towards the door.

"Are you going to change your looks on the way to the restaurant or something?" Harry asked, while hurrying to keep up with Lereux, it was awkward walking in high heeled boots.

"No, why should I? There's nothing that says teachers can't go out as they please and no one wants me dead. Besides, why wouldn't I want to be see out with a handsome lad such as yourself?"

Harry sighed but didn't say anything. He was getting a little nervous about walking through the corridors towards the entrance hall.

Would his friends recognize him, somehow, if they even saw him? They should be all up in their common rooms, but you never knew.

If only teacher's quarters had open floo access. But no, they'd have to walk down towards the gates of the school and then take a carriage down to Hogsmead.

Putting his head up, Harry tried to mimic Lereux's arrogant swagger so passerby's would have a harder time connecting this person with Harry Potter.

Thankfully, they made it to the gates of the school without being stopped by anyone, though quite a few teachers and students had given them a second glance.

Harry checked his two bracelets, the tracking device and emergency portkey that he had picked up from Sirius earlier before he took the final step and left the school grounds with Lereux.

...

Hermione was reading when Ron said he was going out to try some experimental trick ideas with his brothers Fred and George.

That had been an hour before. A lot of other people had went out as well, it made the common room quite quiet for the time being. Not that Hermione minded the silence, but she was eager for the return of her friends.

The common room door opened and Hermione turned, expecting to see Ron and his brothers but surprised to see only a tittering Lavender and her usual group of friends.

"Oh my gosh, did you see them!"

"It was absolutely dreamy," one of the girls squealed.

Hermione stood and asked, "Wait, what happened?"

"Oh, Hermione, you should have seen it," Parvati gushed. "We saw Lereux."

"And he was with a date!" Lavender exclaimed.

"A date? With whom, another teacher?" Hermione asked.

The group of all girls all shook their heads. "No, it was this dashing fellow, none of us have ever seen him before."

"Oh," Hermione answered relieved, realizing that nothing particularly important had happened, it was just the usual gossip.

Lavender and her friends didn't seem to notice Hermione's disinterest and continued speaking as before.

"His eyes were purple, and he had deep black hair, looked very handsome."

"Think he might be a teacher here too soon?" Parvati wondered excitedly.

Lavender shrugged. "That'd be alright, but I still have my eye on Lereux. I hope they break up soon!"

The girls all laughed and continued talking about their plans to get either Lereux's or his new suitors attention, each idea more outrageous than the last.

Hermione sighed, turning back to her books, missing the solitude.

...

The carriage ride down to Hogsmead was a tense affair, for Harry at least; Lereux seemed as content as could be.

"How long do you think we'll be?" Harry asked as nonchalantly as he could. "It's just that if I'm exceedingly late, Fenrir gets worried..." Harry trailed off.

"Oh, I don't expect we'll be more than a couple of hours or so," Lereux answered, then turning to Harry. "What do you mean, he'll be worried for you? You didn't tell him about this?"

Harry looked down, not wanting to answer.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" Lereux asked.

"I didn't tell my pack about our outing, no. But my friends are waiting for me, so don't try anything," Harry warned, purposefully leaving out that Sirius and Remus were probably tracking his every move.

Lereux shook his head. "Oh, I wouldn't. I was just surprised, that's all."

Harry shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell them?"

Looking out the window, Harry sighed. "I had just told Fenrir I wanted to choose him this summer. I'd feel bad suddenly saying I need to go out with one of the other competitors suddenly, no matter the reason. Besides, he has a lot of other stuff to worry about now. I don't want to bother him with this."

"Other stuff?" Lereux questioned.

"Stuff, you know, Alpha things...a werewolf in our pack disappeared, without asking permission."

Lereux sighed, shaking his head. "This werewolf, he's another one of the competitors, isn't he? And he left after you said you weren't going to choose him?"

"...Yes, how'd you know?" Harry questioned.

Lereux shrugged. "I suspected something happening like this after you told me that you had chosen Fenrir. Obviously the other alphas wouldn't take the news too kindly either."

"You could say that," Harry muttered sarcastically as the carriage rolled to a stop.

"So where are we going to anyway?" Harry asked, looking around. It was a bit weird to see Hogsmead during nightfall, without dozens of Hogwarts students walking around.

"It's called the _Dancing Dragon. _It's up the street."

Harry followed Lereux, thankful for the sedate pace. Everything seemed normal, there were people walking calming up and down the streets, looking in the cheerily lit store windows.

After a couple blocks, further than Harry and his friends usually traveled as it was mostly a residential area, Lereux turned up the walkway of a house.

Harry followed. "This doesn't look like a restaurant."

"Don't worry, it is," Lereux returned confidently, reaching out to ring the door bell. Harry looked around the porch apprehensively, the wooden deck, chintz outdoor furniture, none of it looked ominous.

Smelling the air, Harry was a bit calmed to sense only the subtle hint of flowers. Thankfully Harry had reminded Remus and Sirius to use a spell to neutralize their scent, or Lereux might have noticed the invisible pair was following them.

Suddenly the door opened and Harry had to stop of observation of the outside area.

Looking past Lereux, Harry saw through the open door a very severe looking attendant wearing crisp robes of black and white.

The attendant moved aside, to let Lereux and Harry through. Harry hung back a little while Lereux spoke with the attendant about the reservation he had made earlier in the week.

There were softly lit candles floating around, and the light beige carpet felt very plush under his feet. It still didn't really look like a restaurant, as there seemed to be many little rooms with their own individual tables branching out, unlike the wide open places that Harry was accustomed to most restaurants having.

When Lereux and the attendant finished, Lereux turned and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder leading him forward.

Harry sighed inwardly, but didn't flinch away from the touch as he didn't want to draw any one's attention to them.

Harry tried to keep looking forward, though he was curious about the other people seated in the small private rooms they were passing. He could tell though the corner of his eye that the other guests were dressed just as extravagantly and he and Lereux were at least, but nothing more.

After walking down the corridor the restaurant attendant stopped, and led Harry and Lereux to their booth.

Harry sat, a little thankful for the private room so he wouldn't have to play the roll of Lereux's boyfriend while they ate.

Pulling the menu towards him, Harry sighed.

"It's in French," Harry noted dryly.

"Tap your wand on the surface, and ask for an English version," Lereux explained, smiling.

Harry shrugged and did as Lereux instructed. The font across the pages changed before his eyes.

"I've never seen a menu do this before," Harry admitted.

"A complicated little charm, useful as this restaurant receives patrons from all over the world."

"All over the world? It's that famous?"

Lereux nodded absently while studying the menu. "I told you we were going to a nice place."

"There's nice and there's - is this real gold?" Harry exclaimed holding up a golden spoon.

Lereux quickly pushed Harry's hand down. "Shh, a date of mine would be used to nice things."

Harry tugged his hand out from under Lereux's and brought the golden spoon up to face to examine it more closely.

"Why do you always use and chose these fancy things, Lereux?" Harry asked, still overwhelmed by the overstated beauty of the decoration in the restaurant.

Lereux sighed. "First of all, call me Demitri."

Harry opened his mouth to protest but stopped when Lereux kept talking. "Don't argue, you were the one that was worried about your identity anyway. For tonight at least, do as I ask on this one account. And second, what do you mean? Everyone likes nice things, I am just fortunate enough to be able to afford them."

"There's a difference between nice, and...this," Harry returned gesturing to the gold utensils. "Besides for..._people like us_, it isn't even necessary. Don't you like the outdoors, the smell of trees, the sound of the wind?"

"I was raised with such things for only a short while, most of my life was not spent in surroundings like these," Lereux answered, though his voice sounded a little more tense than usual.

"I didn't grow up among the trees either, but there's something, some connection that had been opened within me once I...was changed. Don't you feel it?" Harry asked, suddenly very curious. Why did Lereux do so many things to seem as if he were a perfect wizard? He wasn't like Remus, he didn't seem to resent being a werewolf, or he wouldn't go through so much trouble to get a werewolf mate, but there was something there that must cause him to act this way.

"I used to feel as you do. But...things change. Have you ever been without your pack for a long period of time?" Lereux asked, catching Harry off guard.

Harry shook his head. "Only for a day or so, never longer," Harry shuddered at the thought, he remembered the shaking and the constant itch he had felt in the beginning, after being separated from his pack for only a scarce few hours. He had gotten better though, and with the potion there was no problem being away from his pack for a day or so. Any longer, and Harry didn't want to think about such separation.

"I hope you never know the feeling. I don't regret being what I am, but you have to understand, my family and heritage from that time have died. To go on, I had to adopt a new way," Lereux answered somberly.

It was the most serious that Harry had ever seen Lereux, and he did feel sorry for what the older werewolf had had to go through before. But Fenrir had went through a similar loss and didn't end up filling the hurt with empty possessions.

"Why didn't you join another family?" Harry asked. After all, there were many werewolf packs, or used to be, at least in Europe. Most of them would have welcomed the addition of purebred werewolf like Lereux.

"And become a scout or common worker? Those types of families are determined by hierarchical bloodline. I'd never become anything."

"You could be the head of your own family," Harry reminded.

"Yes, after how many years? And even then I'd have to ask leader of the family for permission to bond, to have a child. I don't want that kind of life," Lereux ended derisively.

"And that's why you want to start your own family," Harry realized.

Lereux smirked. "What's this about, you've never asked me so many questions before. Are you trying to figure me out?" Lereux asked coyly.

Harry sat back. "I was just curious about your lifestyle, that's all, do you mind?" Harry returned, not really asking, more trying to send the hint that Lereux could drop that subtle suggestive tone of voice.

Lereux apparently didn't notice. "I don't mind at all. If you're asking because you have become more curious about me, that is. More interested, have you? It's been several days since you foolishly named Fenrir as your chosen mate," Lereux noted lowly so there was no chance human ears could overhear. "Perhaps you've changed your mind again?"

"No," Harry answered firmly. "I told you, I was just curious."

Lereux shrugged. "Just checking," then setting his menu down. "Why did you choose him anyway? What does he have that I don't?"

Setting down his menu too, Harry sighed. "It's not about him _having_ anything."

"Then what is it?" Lereux countered.

Harry flicked his gaze to Lereux to see that he actually seemed interested in the answer. "Fine, I'll tell you. Fenrir stood up for me when no one else would, he gave me a choice in my life, unlike everyone else I know, he respects my decisions even if he doesn't agree with them. Is that enough of an answer for you?" Harry asked harshly.

Lereux shook his head. "You're so enamored with him, yet you know nothing about him."

"Oh, and you do? What's makes you an expert about what he's done?"

"I've heard accounts from others of our kind, about the violence he's done, the murders. Or didn't he tell you?" Lereux questioned condescendingly.

"He's explained himself to me already," Harry answered, lifting his chin defiantly. "I know he's killed men in battle and I know he bit children, but he only did those things to protect his pack. Besides, he's changed."

Lereux nodded. "So he's told you he's killed in battle and bit children? Is that all? And you believe he's changed?" Lereux scoffed.

"Yes, I do. And what do you mean, 'is that all?' What else do you think he's done?" Harry asked accusingly.

Lereux sighed and shook his head, calming himself. "I didn't bring you here to argue with you, ask Fenrir again if you're so interested. I'm only trying to warn you that not everything with Fenrir is as it seems."

Harry shook his head disbelievingly.

"Give us a chance, that's all I'm asking."

"I-" Harry began, but stopped talking when the waitress walked in to take their orders.

It was a welcome relief, Harry didn't know what he could have said to that in any case. After all, he didn't doubt Fenrir, not for a moment, but he wanted to ask the alpha what in the hell Lereux might have been alluding to.

While waiting for their dinner to arrive, Harry purposefully stuck to only benign topics. Harry had thought that he could have explained to Lereux that night, make him understand his choice and maybe put the whole affair behind him, But it seemed he was wrong. In the usual fashion, Harry only ended up with more questions than answers.

...

A/N: Sorry I stopped it there, but if I hadn't the chapter would have been twice as long! You, my faithful readers, also most likely noticed that I'm changing some cannon around here in big and juicy ways. I tried to make this apparent in the story but I'll say it here plainly just so everyone's on the same page: Harry's not a Horcrux, and Dumbly already destroyed all of extra pieces of Voldemort floating around in like Harry's third year, just go with it. In my opinion, Dumbledore totally could have done so in the books if he had wanted to earlier, but just didn't because of the prophecy or because...well there'd have been no books if he had and Rowling apparently didn't want to go with the hot steamy werewolf love plot... yea, there you have it. Any further questions, feel free to ask!


	28. The Council

**Chapter 28**

**...**

**"Render's been spotted, My Lord."**

**Fenrir turned to face one of his kneeling scouts. "Let's be off then, lead the way," Fenrir ordered.**

**The young scout nodded and rose, turning to run off to the East, Fenrir and Catherine followed silently. "He's not alone though, there were four others with him," the scout explained.**

**"Four?" Catherine questioned. "Wizards or Werewolves?"**

**"Werewolves, I think, though from a distance even I could sense something...off about them." **

**"Perhaps we should wait to meet them head on. We are outnumbered against unknown enemies," Catherine suggested.**

**Fenrir shook his head, "We need to strike now, though the rest of the pack needs to be warned." Then, turning to the scout, "I'm sure I can find the intruders on my own from here, you've done well. Go back and notify the others and direct them to set up a perimeter defense."**

**The scout promptly bowed and then ran back in the direction of the main clearing to warn the others.**

**Fenrir continued on Eastward, with Catherine following warily, though dutifully behind. **

**After several minutes of persistent searching, Fenrir caught the scent of the newcomers. **

**"They're just ahead," Fenrir spoke lowly. The two slowed to a trot, moving forward to make their way through the thick brush.**

**The intruders' scent grew stronger and Fenrir's step faltered.**

**Catherine turned. "Fenrir, what it is?"**

**"Their scent...it's familiar," Fenrir murmured, his eyes glinting with an emotion that Catherine seldom saw upon his face, that of fear.**

**Fenrir straightened up, no longer hunched over in the hunting position. "They know we're here."**

**"What?" Catherine asked in a harsh undertone. "How-"**

**But Catherine abruptly stopped speaking when the branches ahead of them slowly parted to reveal a nervous, though still smug looking Render.**

**Fenrir wasn't looking at Render though, he was staring past, to the four figures that followed.**

**First came two women, one with blond hair falling in waves to her waist; and the second with fiery red hair, chopped short and exploding in spikes away from her face. Following them were two men, one large and bulky with dark brown hair the color of freshly tilled earth, and the second man lithe though still formidable looking with striking white hair, the color of fallen snow.**

**Catherine fell back, immediately recognizing them. Fenrir didn't move, his eyes only flicked to Render, looking at the other werewolf for the first time.**

**"You summoned them," Fenrir spoke quietly, not a question, an accusation.**

**Render gave one silent nod.**

**"You think they will protect you?" Fenrir asked. "They care nothing about you-"**

**"Enough, Fenrir," the one with red hair ordered. "You know why we're here."**

**"There is not a problem, Pire. Your presence here is unnecessary," Fenrir protested.**

**"That is not what Render says," the calm voice of the man with white hair broke in.**

**Fenrir turned to him. "Avier, please, you were always the most understanding of the Council. Can't you see Render is only using you. He is the one that should be punished, exploiting you for such a trifling matter."**

**"We have spoken to him about that, already," the blond woman informed casually.**

**Render gave an uncontrollable shiver at the memory. Fenrir noticed the move and looked at the blond woman critically. "Viviane, as cruel as always I see."**

**Viviane's eyes glinted. "A characteristic of mine that you appreciated once not so long ago."**

**"Things have changed," Fenrir countered.**

**"And some things have stayed the same, it seems. Such as your predilection for biting young boys?"**

**"And what is that supposed to mean?" Fenrir asked defensively.**

**Viviane shrugged. "Just that that was the one of the few parts of Render's story that actually warranted some action on our part. He said that you gave...what was his name, oh yes...Harry a mating mark, before the boy was of age, before he chose you, before he even became one of us."**

**"I had my reasons...But if I admit to this, you will punish me accordingly and leave my pack in peace?"**

**"You know that isn't how it works, Fenrir," Pire chastised. **

**"We must investigate," Avier agreed.**

**"We're going to need to speak to the boy," Viviane admitted with relish, tilting her head to smile.**

**Fenrir shook his head. "That is unnecessary. He is still a cub and knows nothing about this matter that I do not."**

**"Yes, but you may give biased answers in order to hide your guilt. We must speak with the boy," Avier reiterated once more.**

**Fenrir opened his mouth to protest but Viviane cut him off, "Get him...**_**Now**_**, Fenrir."**

**After a tense moment Fenrir bowed grudgingly. "As you wish."**

**...**

**"The carriages come every half an hour, we just missed the last one. Would you like to wait, perhaps we should go get some after dinner tea or cocoa?" Lereux asked.**

**Harry shook his head. He was uncomfortable already, and it was getting later in the day. "Let's just walk," Harry suggested.**

**Shrugging, "As you wish, Harry," Lereux consented.**

**Harry led the way with a brisk pace, even though the shoes made walking on the uneven grass awkward to say the least.**

**Lereux followed, trying to strike up a conversation along the way.**

**Harry wasn't really paying attention though. In fact, he was purposefully trying not to listen to what Lereux was saying. He was frustrated with Lereux beyond anything. If you forgot the one little fact that Harry didn't want to go out on the date in the first place, the outing was by itself, nice. The food had tasted good and everything, since it wasn't made with magic at least. But what Lereux had insinuated earlier in the evening, about Fenrir not being completely honest with him was weighing heavily on Harry's mind.**

**Still deep in thought, Harry's right foot slipped suddenly on the wet grass. It happened too fast for Harry to regain his balance and before he knew it he had fallen ungracefully upon the ground. **

**Harry growled and reached down to pull off the two offending heeled boots.**

**"Harry are you alright?" Lereux asked concernedly.**

**"I'm fine, just take your shoes," Harry returned curtly, tossing the two boots to Lereux with a little more force than necessary. **

**"But they were gifts," Lereux protested.**

**"If you haven't noticed by now, I don't want your gifts!" Harry shouted angrily.**

**Harry got to his now bare feet, intent on getting back to Hogwarts as soon as possible. When he put some weight on his right foot though, Harry let out a short involuntary yelp of pain.**

**"Harry, let me help you," Lereux insisted, taking Harry's right arm.**

**"I don't need your help, my ankle's just a little sore that's all. It'll heal quickly enough."**

**"Well until then, you shouldn't walk on it. At least let me carry you back to Hogwarts."**

**Harry scoffed. "You're not carrying me anywhere."**

**"Oh come on, I just want to help you. I haven't done one thing to you this evening, don't you trust me yet?" **

**Harry continued glaring.**

**Lereuex rolled his yes. "Well I guess that answers that question. Nevertheless, I'm not going to have you walk the rest of the way on an injured leg."**

**"It's fine-" Harry began to protest again which Lereux ignored in **

**favor of picking Harry up, legs help up by his left arm with Harry's back propped up by his right.**

**...**

**Catherine and Fenrir appeared silently in the Forbidden Forest. **

**"He is probably in his common room, he has already described where it is from here to me. I will disguise us and we can go find him on our own," Fenrir explained, rising the wind around himself and Catherine.**

**Catherine, now invisible, nodded nevertheless and followed Fenrir out onto the expanse of grass that separated the forest from the school. **

**When Fenrir made it about halfway across the grounds, he stopped suddenly. "He is not within the castle."**

**Catherine looked curiously up to Hogwarts, but was unable to sense Harry's presence as Fenrir was. However, she knew well enough to believe when Fenrir said that Harry was not inside.**

**"His scent is coming from that direction," Fenrir noted a bit confused, pointing eastwards.**

**At that moment a startled yelp broke the silence, too far away for humans to hear but more than loud enough for Fenrir to detect.**

**"That was him, I'm sure of it," Fenrir murmured, already worried. Catherine barely caught the words before Fenrir began sprinting off towards the sound.**

**...**

**"Lereux, put me down!" Harry growled angrily. **

**"Your ankle-"**

**"Will be fine, now put me down!" Harry shouted again, trying to wiggle out of Lereux's grasp. **

**Lereux retained his firm grip though, not seeming in any hurry to let Harry down.**

**"I'd do as he asks immediately," a voice ordered from up ahead, cutting through the still evening air.**

**Harry whipped around to see Fenrir standing several feet in front of them, glaring daggers at Lereux.**

**"Let me down...now," Harry whispered fiercely into Lereux's ear. Harry's heart had leapt to his throat the moment he had heard Fenrir. His alpha had caught him in the worst possible situation and Lereux being stubborn wasn't helping in the slightest. Lereux hesitated for a moment. Fenrir took one slow calculated step forward, eyes glowing a faint golden color.**

**"Let...me go," Harry prompted.**

**Sighing, Leruex slowly loosened his grip, allowing Harry to slide slowly to the ground. Harry put most of his weight on his left foot, and quickly hopped up the gentle slope to Fenrir.**

**Fenrir's eyes gentled to the color closer of their usual hazel as he reached out to place a possessive hand on Harry's shoulder.**

**"What in the name of the stars above are you wearing?" Fenrir asked, looking Harry over. "And what is this nonsense?" Fenrir added, waving a hand over Harry's face, banishing the subtle glamour there.**

**"Are you hurt? I heard you yelp."**

**Harry shook his head. "I just sprained my ankle a little I think," Harry answered, pointing to the brightly colored shoes that were lying on the grass several feet away.**

**Fenrir knelt to examine Harry's foot**

**"And why were you wearing these things, aren't you supposed to be in the castle?"**

**"I gave the clothing and shoes to him, as a gift," Lereux explained, steeping forward for the first time.**

**Fenrir tilted his head, glaring at Lereux once again. "A gift? Why? What were you even doing out here?"**

**"Harry consented to go out with me this evening," Lereux quickly explained, rather smugly. **

**Fenrir turned to look down at Harry. "Is this true?"**

**"No," Harry quickly disagreed, the hidden look of pain in Fenrir's eyes becoming harder to bear by the second. "It wasn't like that."**

**"So you didn't agree to court Lereux?"**

**"It was only one date," Harry was quick to explain. "Lereux helped me with a problem I had and in return he asked that I go on one outing with him. It meant nothing to me, and I didn't do anything with him, I swear."**

**"What did he help you with that I couldn't have?" Fenrir asked, looking confused.**

**"A school thing, Hermione got into some trouble-"**

**"Something only a real werewolf could help him with," Lereux cut in condescendingly.**

**A low growl began deep in Fenrir's chest. **

**Wincing, Harry shot Lereux an angry glance. "Lereux, you're not needed here anymore, go back to the castle."**

**"I should escort you back to your dormitory, just to be safe," Lereux argued.**

**"My alpha is here, I will be safe," Harry replied quickly, placing a suggestive hand upon Fenrir's shoulder, both to vex Lereux and to hopefully calm Fenrir a bit.**

**It seemed to work. Leruex's eyes narrowed, clearly irritated, and Fenrir's growl lessened into somewhat of a warning purr.**

**After a tense moment, in which Lereux and Fenrir continued glaring at one another, Harry was relieved to see Lereux finally back down.**

**The Astronomy Professor pivoted quickly on his heel and brushed past Fenrir, his head still held arrogantly high.**

**Once he had gone Fenrir quickly turned to Harry, picking him up easily.**

**"Do you enjoy scaring me, foolish pup?" Fenrir asked, looking over Harry again worriedly.**

**"No," Harry shook his head quickly. "I just didn't want to bother you, I'm really sorry. I honestly don't like Lereux at all, it was just he'd only help Hermione if I went with him-"**

**"He blackmailed you?" Fenrir spat, enraged. "I'll tear out his throat-"**

**"Fenrir, please!" Harry interrupted, bringing his hands up to Fenrir's face to make the angered wolf look back at him. The touch seemed to calm Fenrir somewhat, and he was able to continue speaking in a calmer voice.**

**"Shhh, little one, I am not angry with you. The fault of this lies not with you but with that scoundrel for blackmailing you. I only wish you would give some thought to your own safety though."**

**At that moment Fenrir looked up, having heard the approach of two new figures from the surrounding brush.**

**"Perhaps I should not have underestimated you, Harry," Fenrir mused as Remus and Sirius stepped out from behind a tree, pulling off the invisibility cloak. **

**"Despite your low regard of wizards Fenrir, we can protect Harry as well as you can from harm," Remus muttered, walking up slowly to Harry, who was still being held protectively in Fenrir's grasp."That, I doubt," Fenrir scoffed."We were prepared in our own way," Remus disagreed, reaching out to take the tracking charm and emergency portkey bracelet from Harry's wrist.**

**Fenrir looked approvingly at the measures that Remus had taken, but was still mostly unimpressed.**

**"Your tricks would have been enough to protect him from Lereux perhaps," Fenrir conceded after a moment's thought. **

**"From anything...or anyone," Remus reaffirmed, looking directly at Fenrir.**

**Harry looked back and forth between Remus and Fenrir, fearing that another argument would erupt any moment.**

**However, Fenrir simply shrugged.**

**"Be that as it may, I do expect to be notified of these sorts of things in the future."**

**"As would I," Sirius spoke up, walking forward.**

**"Why didn't you tell us that Lereux had blackmailed you into the date?" Sirius questioned.**

**"He didn't tell you either?" Fenrir noted, surprised.**

**"Why all the lies, Harry?" Remus prompted, when Harry didn't answer.**

**Harry resisted the urge to bury his face in Fenrir's shoulder. "I-I just didn't want anyone to get into a fight over anything. You all have your own problems and I don't want to make them worse. So I figured out how to deal with Umbrige on my own, and how to help Hermione out. Lereux doesn't have any other responsibilities besides teaching at the moment, so I just used his help. I didn't want to tell Fenrir because then he wouldn't let me go on the outing with Lereux and then I woudn't be able to help Hermione."**

**"Why wouldn't he let you go out with Lereux? Isn't it your right to spend time with whomever you choose? Fenrir did let Lereux into the competition after all," Remus added.**

**Harry looked up at Fenrir a bit nervously. Suddenly the elder werewolf's eyes brightened with understanding.**

**"Harry didn't explain the situation to you because he feared your disapproval."**

**"Disapproval of what?" Sirius quickly interjected.**

**Fenrir looked down at Harry once more, silently asking if Harry wished for him to continue.**

**Harry nodded his head after a moment.**

**"Harry has chosen me to be his mate. That's why he didn't want to tell me about the outing he had planned with Lereux, and why he didn't tell you about the real reason he was keeping it all from me. He didn't want to upset you."**

**"Didn't want to upset us?" Remus whispered, his voice low. "It was one thing to become a werewolf without telling us, another to purposefully hide his choice from us. But now...to choose Fenrir of all werewolves," Remus stopped, bowing his head, he was clearly distressed. Then, seeming as to suddenly come to a conclusion, Remus lifted his head. "It is no matter, Harry still has until July to decide."**

**"I won't change my mind," Harry answered quietly, but with conviction.**

**Remus opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by the appearance of Catherine at the top of the knoll.**

**"You have found him then, is he alright?" Catherine asked, eyes flicking to Harry as he was still held protectively in Fenrir's arms**

**Fenrir gave a sharp nod.**

**"We should hurry my lord, the council is not one to be kept waiting," Catherine prompted when Fenir didn't continue.**

**Looking down at Harry once more, Fenrir nodded. "Of course, you are right, Catherine. If you would excuse us?" Fenrir asked, looking towards Remus and Sirius. "I'm sure you can sort this out later."**

**Fenrir started to turn when Harry ambled out of his grasp to go to Remus.**

**"Remus, I'm sorry," Harry apologized, his voice almost pleading. "I didn't mean you to find out this way."**

**Remus waved him off. "We can talk later," Remus relented.**

**Harry took an uncertain step forward.**

**"Harry, we must be going," Catherine called.**

**"Go, Harry, just go."**

**"You don't hate me?" Harry asked worriedly.**

**"Of course I don't hate you," Remus scoffed. "It is just...a lot to take in. We can talk about it later, really."**

**Harry nodded, hugging Remus and Sirius briefly before following Catherine and Fenrir back into the Forbidden forest.**

**...**

**"So what is going on?" Harry started. "Why did you show up so early, and why are we in a hurry?"**

**"The council has been summoned," Catherine answered bluntly.**

**"The council?" Harry wondered aloud.**

**"The council is a group of four elemental werewolves that can be summoned when one feels that the pack is being taken in the wrong direction," Catherine explained abruptly.**

**"Wait, what? What are elemental werewolves?" Harry questioned as they continued walking through the forest.**

**"More spirits than anything else, they have a power of their own and have been periodically called on for assistance throughout our history."**

**"Stop making them sound so noble. They are simply the result of one of our foolish ancestors who couldn't take the decision of his alpha," Fenrir sneered.**

**"Why are they here now?" Harry asked.**

**"Render summoned them, who else," Fenrir answered with disdain.**

**"Oh, so Render is back? That's a good thing though isn't it? You can reprimand him and then everything will be sorted out."**

**"I am not allowed to punish Render until the Council has completed their investigation and issued judgment," Fenrir sighed regretfully.**

**"Judgment of what? You have done nothing wrong, Render has nothing to accuse you of," Harry argued.**

**"Render is saying that I used my influence and superior position to unfairly sway your decision of choosing me as your mate," Fenrir explained, his voice purposefully level.**

**"But that's not true," Harry argued.**

**"Hopefully the council will agree," Catherine concluded.**

**When they arrived in the main camp, Harry was surprised to see hardly anyone around. Only a few of the scouts that were permanently stationed in the central clearing remained, and even they looked tense.**

**Catherine and Fenrir walked sedately alongside Harry, leading him to one of the rooms that was frequently used for meetings among the senior members of the pack.**

**Harry faltered, suddenly nervous. Why was everyone acting so strangely? Never had he seen the main clearing so deserted so early in the evening and he had never seen Fenrir look so uncomfortable or Catherine seem so worried, even before the great battle that had taken place over the summer. It all made no sense.**

**Taking a deep breath, Harry nevertheless continued forward. **

**"And he has finally arrived," a pleased voice announced as Harry entered the room.**

**Harry looked up to see a blond woman approach him, with a contented smile upon her face.**

**Before the woman got much farther, Fenrir stepped directly in front of Harry.**

**"He's here as you asked, Viviane, now get on with your questioning," Fenrir ordered.**

**Harry leaned around Fenrir to see the woman cock her head to the side, smirking slightly, as if a child had just said something amusing.**

**"I don't think you're in any position to dictate this meeting, Fenrir," the woman remarked condescendingly, her smirk quickly disappearing.**

**"Actually, I think it would be better if you weren't present at all," Viviane continued.**

**"But I want him here," Harry quickly protested.**

**"Harry," Fenrir started warningly.**

**"No, they are here to hear from me and they will," Harry stated forcefully, angry at the four werewolves that had treated Fenrir so rudely. **

**"The pup is a bit controlling for submissive, no?" The redhead noted.**

**Harry turned to her sharply. "You don't need to be Alpha to resent being treated so poorly, especially by outsiders," Harry countered.**

**"Oh dear, we aren't outsiders," Viviane crooned. "We have been here before."**

**"This doesn't sound like questioning," Fenrir broke in briskly."Of course," light-haired man agreed stepping forward to look down at Harry.**

**"Please forgive my companions. We don't get out much and it seems our sense of propriety has suffered," the elemental wolf added, giving a sharp look to Viviane, who only shrugged in response.**

**"Now, if you would please leave us for a moment, we can get this business all taken care of quickly."**

**After a tense moment, Fenrir nodded once, and left, followed by Catherine.**

**Harry looked after Fenrir confusedly, before turning his irritated gaze back onto the four elementals.**

**"Allow us to introduce ourselves, my name is Avier," the white haired man began pleasantly. "I represent the element of air. Viviane, whom you have already had words with represents the element of water."**

**The blond woman nodded amiably before taking up where Avier left off. **

**"And this is Pire, she represents the element of fire. And last but not least-**

**"Erdan," the man brown haired man ended simply, nodding once greeting.**

**Harry crossed his arms. "You obviously know who I am already, so I'll keep this short. There is no reason for any of you to be here. I just learned about you today and they said you were here because Render told you Fenrir is being a bad leader for the pack, but Render just has a personal problem against Fenrir because I chose Fenrir as a mate," Harry explained. **

**"Be that as it may, some of what Render told us does seem to point to Fenrir influencing you unfairly," Avier continued diplomatically.**

**"Fenrir has done nothing wrong," Harry replied sternly.**

**"We will see about that," Pire began.**

**Gesturing to Harry's bare arm Viviane continued. "So it is as Render said, Fenrir marked you?"**

**Harry looked down at his wrist, noting the circle of blue dots that was covered for most of the day, and covering it automatically as if to protect it. The mark was his, and his alone.**

**"And what if he did?" Harry asked challengingly.**

**"When did he mark you?" Pire asked instead of answering.**

**Harry shrugged. "Early, when I first came here. He said it would protect me," Harry explained.**

**"How?" Erdan asked, seeming honestly curious, as he sat down steadily upon one of the tree stump like chairs.**

**"hmm, he said..." Harry paused for a moment, trying to recall what Fenrir had said. "He said that it would let the other packs know that I was part of a pack already, that they wouldn't try to take me for their own."**

**"Didn't work very well did it?" Viviane noted sarcastically, referring to the multiple packs that had tried to kidnap Harry over the summer.**

**"Those packs didn't follow the old ways and were corrupt, Fenrir did his best," Harry countered, glaring at the blond haired elemental.**

**"Don't you think Fenrir knew that the majority of the packs outside his territory no longer followed the old ways?" Pire asked.**

**"No, he didn't know, he was doing what he thought was right," Harry reiterated.**

**"He knew," Viviane muttered. "Not everything about Fenrir is as it seems." **

**Harry opened his mouth to immediately disagree with Viviane, the elemental werewolf he was fast coming to like the least, but stopped suddenly as the words echoed in his mind. Lereux had said almost exactly the same thing several hours before.**

**"What did you say?" Harry asked, looking more closely at Viviane.**

**The elemental werewolf shrugged. "Fenrir wasn't always like the werewolf he shows you today."**

**"What do you mean?" Harry quickly followed.**

**"Viviane," Avier barked harshly. "We are not here to dig up past history but to evaluate the situation, **_**today,**_**" Avier finished, glaring.**

**The two elementals remained in a silent standoff for a moment before Pire quickly continued. **

**"If Fenrir really did all this for your own good, why did he hide the mark's true nature from you for so long?"**

**"Fenrir didn't want to worry me. He wanted me to be comfortable here while it was possible, he was being kind," Harry stressed.**

**"Keeping information from you is one thing, but then how do you explain Fenrir telling you to call him Venren from the very beginning?"**

**"What?" Harry asked. **

**"Venren, that was what Fenrir asked you to call him when you first arrived here, and he called you Senren in return, isn't that right?" Pire clarified.**

**"So, that was just a name, he didn't want me to know him as Fenrir until later," Harry let out a high laugh. "Venren is not some random name, little cub. You need to sharpen you language skills. Venren is the name for the dominate in a mating relationship, as is Senren the name for the submissive partner. It seems Fenrir had your place planned from the very beginning, doesn't it?"**

**Harry shook his head. "He didn't tell me that, perhaps there was a mistake-"**

**"There was no mistake, cub," Pire snapped. "By what you say Fenrir has indeed used his position to force you-"**

**"He did not force me!" Harry shouted, now angry and not a little hurt if what the elemental werewolves were saying was true. "He.." Harry stopped searching for words. "He gave me a choice. Fenrir has always given me a choice. A choice to become a werewolf or not, and yes, he gave me a choice as to whom I want my mate to be."**

**"He only gave you the illusion of choice," Avier summarized lightly.**

**"That is your opinion," Harry growled. "I am telling you here and now that I choose Fenrir.**

**Harry glared at the four elemental werewolves, daring them to disagree.**

**Avier sighed, "Well you have certainly made your opinion known. Now leave us and we will deliberate."**

**Harry rolled his eyes and stalked from the room, intent on finding Render. Fenrir may not be able to issue punishment but, there was nothing saying that Harry couldn't exact his own form of revenge.**

**...**

**"The cub has clearly been deceived," Viviane started immediately after Harry had left.**

**Pire shrugged, agreeing.**

**"Though I too agree that the cub has been lied to often enough, he seems fairly well informed as of now, and he still remains loyal to Fenrir. There seems to be little that we would need to interfere with," Avier noted.**

**"Interfere with? It's obvious that Fenrir should be punished!" Viviane exclaimed.**

**"Viviane, your personal enmity with Fenrir is clearly clouding your judgment," Erdan sighed. "Yes, Fenrir's actions towards Harry are questionable, however, as Fenrir himself noted, this is not a pack issue. Perhaps if the other alphas had come to us along with Render, but as it stands now, there is no reason for us to interfere," Erdan concluded.**

**Viviane glared angrily, crossing her arms.**

**"This isn't a problem between the entire pack, Viviane," Avier explained once more, sighing. "There is no purpose we could serve here."**

**Shoulders slumping dejectedly, Viviane nodded. "Then we shall disappear along with the rising sun as it is told."**

**...**

**Harry made his way angrily across the main clearing, towards the sleeping den where he assumed most of the pack was gathered.**

**Pushing open the two heavy wooden doors hard enough to make them swing, Harry entered the den.**

**He had assumed correctly and was met with the rest of his pack staring back at him worriedly.**

**Harry immediately searched the crowd for Render. His sharp lycan eyes easily picked him out, standing off to the side, joking around with a couple of the other scouts.**

**Without bothering to share any greetings or news of how the meeting had went, Harry simply walked through the group of werewolves that instinctively parted before him until he stood directly in front of Render.**

**The Alpha looked down at Harry smugly.**

**"Come to thank me, Harry? Do you see now what I meant, how Fenrir has been manipulating you this entire time?"Harry glared up at the condescending werewolf for a split second before soundly backhanding the Alpha across the cheek.**

**The force behind the blow was enough to push Render back a step as he bent to cradle his injured face with his hands.**

**"If you **_**ever**_**, interfere with my own personal business again, you won't have to fear Fenrir, I'll punish you myself," Harry spat, his eyes glowing a threatening yellow hue.**

**Render straightened up fairly quickly, glaring back at Harry. "Insolent pup! What makes you think you can talk to me that way," Render demanded, lifting his hand to strike Harry in return.**

**Before Harry could even ready to defend himself from the blow, he suddenly felt himself being lifted up by the waist and heard a crash.**

**Opening his eyes, Harry realized the sound was Render hitting the wall.**

**"After all you have gone through to turn him against me, you'd raise a hand to him?" Fenrir asked disbelievingly. "You are truly a fool."**

**Harry, still being held in a tight one armed grasp, tapped Fenrir's shoulder.**

**"Sorta-hard to breathe, here," Harry started out.**

**Fenrir looked down and quickly released his hold on Harry.**

**Taking a deep breath, Harry lightly glared at Fenrir. "I had it handled."**

**"He could have hurt you," Fenrir pointed out.**

**"I can handle him!" Harry argued, looking down to glare at Render, who now looked sufficiently cowed since Fenrir had shown up. "Besides, you're not supposed to hurt him until the elementals make their decision."**

**"Hitting you would have been a separate infraction, and one that I would have relished punishing him for," Fenrir answered gruffly.**

**Just then, the doors to the sleeping den opened once more, admitting the four elementals as they walked sedately to Fenrir and Harry.**

**"We have found," Avier started sagely, "that this situation warrants no action on our part as the case in question involves chiefly only two individuals, and is not a pack issue. Unless there are others here that believe that Fenrir is using his station for his own personal means and is leading the pack in a wrong direction?" Avier asked, surveying the crowd.**

**The elementals looked pointedly at the other alphas that had made their claims for Harry earlier in the season.**

**Render looked at his scouting partners pleadingly, until one by one, they each looked down, refusing to meet his gaze.**

**"That is settled then," Pire summarized. **

**"We'll leave you to it," Viviane added, smirking at Render who was now quite pale.**

**Harry smiled, feeling very relieved, as he was picked up once more by a now grinning Fenrir.**

**Hooking his legs around Fenrir's waist as was custom, Harry smirked triumphantly. **

**"I told you I'd convince them."**

**"That you did pup, that you did," Fenrir admitted, content to have his future mate within his embrace once more. Looking in Harry's bright green eyes, full of hope, Fenrir felt a part of himself that he had long since buried come back to him once more. He was complete.**


End file.
